


Shikon Legend

by KibaSin



Category: Fushigi Yuugi, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe, Death, Drama, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Friendship, Genderbending, Goddesses, Legends, Mild Language, Minor Character Death, Out of Character, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-20 18:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KibaSin/pseuds/KibaSin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A legend has come true… The shikon miko shall gather the Shikon Warriors, and join all seven together to bring forth the Goddess Midoriko, and save the Sengoku Jidai. Not wanted in her home… Kagome finds herself a part of this legend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer:_ ** _Some material in this story belongs to Yuu Watase, while other pieces belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Yuu Watase – this manga writer brought us the trilling adventures of ‘Fushigi Yugi – Genbu Kaidan,’ is where I got the idea for this fic. Rumiko Takahashi – this person, well, she brought us our favorite anime where I got my characters: InuYasha!_

**_Rating:_ ** _T_

**_Genre:_ ** _Drama/Romance_

\- - -

Prologue

“Please get well, mother,” she whispered, sitting beside the small bed. Her blue eyes focused in the dim candlelight, trying to see the pale face of her mother. The small flame flickered back and forth, seeming to dance in the cold winter breeze that flowed through the thin sliding doors, and into their home. Feeling a small shiver run through her body, she turned toward the thin door, and hoped that winter would soon be over. However, her attention turned back to the flickering flame, which seemed to tease, and haunt her during this time. Looking back down at her mother, she could see that little flames light dancing upon her face, and sighed.

 _Time to go,_ she thought, deciding it best to check on her mother the next day.

Standing, her hakamas billowed around her ankles, as her haori sleeves fell toward the floor, only to be stopped by the sewing holding it to her shoulder. Placing her hands around herself, she closed her haori tighter, trying to keep out the breeze, and hold in her heat. Taking one last look at her mother, she silently asked the great kamis to help her get well, before turning on her heel, and moving toward the door. The cool wood touched her hand, as she slid the door open, before stepping out, and moving into the hallway, after closing the door behind her.

The sound of her feet hitting the wooden floor echoed through their quiet home, also seeming to haunt, and frighten her conscious mind. Never, never had the place seemed so cold… so dead… She had never heard the place so quiet, and it was unnerving to know that it could be. Since her father was gone… she knew that their home would be very quiet until her mother got better. However, what also frightened her was the fact that her home wasn’t… as homey as it used to be. It seemed like she was walking around inside a large home that was not her own. The entire structure had seemed to lose its light, and soothing feeling when her mother fell ill. So, everyday, she wished that her mother would become better.

However, for now she would rest, and once morning came again, she would go to her training, and education class for the day, before once more visiting her ill mother. Hopefully, tomorrow would be different, and her mother would be fine. True, she knew it would be a while before her mother got back on her feet, but she hoped that she might at least be standing the next day. The most her ill mother ever did was stare off into space now.

Her footsteps seemed to echo louder when she finally came to a stop, and opened her own door. Stepping inside, she closed the sliding door behind her, before getting ready for bed. Still, it seemed that outside her door, the sound of her footsteps was faint… but still there.

It was disturbing.

* * *

 

“Very good, Kagome,” her sensei said. His head bowed for a moment, before he gave her a small smile, and commanded, “Now, do the same exercise, again!”

“Yes, sensei,” Kagome said, giving a small bow, before moving back into her morning exercises. Her training was actually finished, but her sensei came once in a while, or at least once a day, to make sure she was still as good with the staff as she was before. Well, actually it was a staff, with a dull blade at the end. True, a fighting one would be have a sharp, deadly blade, but for training a dull one worked just as well. Where she came from, it was called a ninjara.

Her clothing moved with her, as she swiftly stabbed the staff forward, before thrusting it back with the same amount of force, in the same amount of time. Turning in a circle, she swung the staff like weapon around her body, before placing the blade into the ground, and flipping over the wooden end, as if fighting an invisible opponent. The ninjara seemed to hum, as she nearly danced around it, silently going through her exercises, as she finally closed her eyes, and moved through the steps instinctively.

Her movements were fast, compared to when she first tried to complete the entire exercise with her sensei watching. She moved quickly, gracefully, and wisely, trying to overcome the invisible opponents that surrounded her. The biggest one… always took the shape of her father inside her mind. She knew why… her father was a legend writer. He was never there, and had even told her once that he’d rather she been a son. It was depressing, and sad to hear your own father tell you this when you’re merely five years old, but she took it, and in time… she came to resent her father, Hojo. He wasn’t even there when her mother fell ill, saying that he’d discovered a new legend, and needed to gather information on it.

He was nothing but a bastard!

Without much thought, she moved into the remaining steps for her exercise, and quickly finished. Her sensei clapped, knowing that everyday she was improving, and becoming one of the best students he’d ever had. His smile widened, when he heard someone else clapping as well, but he frowned upon seeing the lady of the house standing in the doorway.

Kagome turned upon hearing the other person, and gasped, “Mother! You should not be out here, it’s too cold!”

“Kagome,” her mother coughed, “do not act as if you are _my_ mother.”

“Yes mother,” Kagome bowed in apology. However, she did straighten up and ask, “How are you feeling, mother? You haven’t been up for days.”

“Better,” Sakura lied, knowing that she felt death shadowing her figure. “You did very well, Kagome, I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, mother,” Kagome beamed.

Smiling, Sakura motioned for Kagome to follow her, and told her sensei that she’d be taking her daughter for the rest of the day. After seeing the man nod, she said, “Come, Kagome.”

“Yes mother,” Kagome smiled, before following behind her beloved mother, Sakura. They walked down the halls, which seemed to brighten with happiness as her coughing mother walked through them. Frowning, Kagome eyed her mother with concern, but said nothing, knowing that her mother must have had a good reason for not being in bed.

“Is there something you wish to ask me, Kagome?” her mother asked, still walking forward.

Nodding at her mother’s back, she said, “Why are you up, mother? You should still be in bed… your illness will not leave should you continue to… push yourself.”

“Kagome… my darling daughter, I wish to dine with you this morning,” her mother smiled. “That is all I wish for.”

Frowning, Kagome wondered what her mother meant. She sounded… hallow… like she was hiding something. Somehow, Kagome felt a chill run through her body, and felt her concern rise. Somehow… she knew that her mother knew something she didn’t. _Please, mother, get well._

Sakura smiled, leading her daughter toward the dining area, where she sat on a cushion pillow, and patted the one next to her, saying, “Sit, Kagome.”

“Yes mother,” Kagome said, sitting beside her mother, her legs tucked underneath her. Soon, one of the servants came, carrying a tray of food - apples, bread, eggs, butter, oranges, and many other things that might help her mother’s health. However, Kagome reached for the tall reed container, and poured herself a glass of water, before touching the food.

Her mother began to eat, biting into a piece of bread, and chewing softly. She watched her daughter, smiling the whole time as Kagome finally began to store as much food as she could inside her body. She did catch all the small glanced her daughter gave her out of the corner of her eye, before she finally asked, “Kagome… is something wrong?”

“Of course not, mother… its just…” Kagome frowned, “I still don’t think you should be up… I know, that you are feeling better, but… why did you want to have breakfast with me?”

“Your father is not here very often, my darling. I know that’s hard on you, and you might even resent him for it, but I hope that when the time comes, you will understand that he does love you… with all his heart.”

“Mother.” Kagome twisted the apple within her hand, before gripping it until it broke in half. “Mother, he…”

“I know,” Sakura said.

“Why mother? Why is it, that father loves me, but wants a son more then a daughter?” she asked, tears in her eyes.

Her mother smiled sweetly, before saying, “Kagome, like all men, he merely wants a son to follow in his footsteps. You know the ways of Erysun. Women do the housework, and work behind the men, while the men do all the important things. He merely wants a son that will be able to continue his _study’s_.”

“I understand, mother,” Kagome mumbled. She tilted her head, and finally heard the distant ‘thump’ of someone walking in their direction.

Her mother smiled, before saying, “Perhaps that is Hojo now?”

“I don’t think so…” Kagome sighed. “His footfalls are quiet.”

Sakura nodded, before sitting to wait. Not long afterward, the door opened to reveal a flame haired man with green eyes. Smiling brightly, Sakura said, “Hello, Shippo.”

Kagome felt her heart begin to thump silently. She gazed up at the young demon, and felt her breath catch. However, she turned her gaze when he looked down at her, and felt a blush rise in her cheeks. _Damn you! He is married, and has a probably has a child by now! Why can’t I get over this stupid crush?_

“Hello, Sakura,” Shippo greeted her, then added, “Kagome.”

“Shippo, what brings you here?” her mother asked.

He came to sit across from them, before saying, “Well, Hojo came through town, and asked me to come check on you. He says that he’s found another legend from long ago, and wanted to find more information on it.”

“How long ago was this?” Kagome snarled. _Just like him, thinking more about a stupid legend then his own family,_ she thought.

Shippo frowned, before saying, “About two months ago. I’ve had things to do… like watching over my daughter, who just turned one, and trying to find someone to watch over my mate. She’s pregnant again.”

“Oh, you never told us you had a daughter,” Sakura said.

“I didn’t? Oh, I guess I never really thought about it,” his smile made Kagome’s heart sink. “Here, I’ve got a picture of her.”

He pulled out a photo, before handing it to them. Kagome gazed down at the picture, eying the child within it. She was tall for her age, with flaming hair like her father, but had a pair of blue eyes. She was smiling, her blue eyes seeming to twinkle in the photograph. However, Kagome turned her head away from it, wishing that it was her child instead of someone else’s.

It just wasn’t fair! He should be hers! She’d loved him since she was young, but since he was around ten years older then her, he’d already mated with another demon. Still, she wanted him. She loved him.

Shippo took the photo back, asking, “Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Yes, she is,” Sakura nodded.

“So… did father say what this o’ so important legend was about?” Kagome asked, trying to change the subject.

“Yes in fact. He said that it had to do with a goddess, a miko, and seven warriors. He didn’t know much, but he did know that it was in a place called ‘Sengoku Jidai’. It was the first legend he’d found that had nothing to do with Erysun, or our people, but with another country all together. He said he was interested, and wished to be the first person to write about it,” Shippo said.

“I see,” Kagome replied.

“Oh, and he gave me this,” Shippo said, pulling out a piece of paper. “He said to please read it, that way you’d know a bit about the legend, though he was sure there was more too it than what he has written down. It says:

“In another land, called ‘Sengoku Jidai’, long ago, a war broke out, and fell into turmoil. However, after twenty years of fighting, and blood, a future seer came forward with a prophecy that would forever change the land. ║ _Seven Warriors shall be born, to complete the journey, of the Shikon Miko! She will come through a portal from another world… another civilization, and cast out a pure blue light over the land. She will travel to find the Shikon Warriors; to complete her task, she must find all seven warriors, who each have a different symbol placed upon their body! Once all seven warriors are gathered together… she must travel to our protector, Goddess Midoriko’s sacred mountain, and shrine. There, she will call forth the goddess, with the help of the warriors powers, and be given a powerful gift. The Shikon Miko… shall be able to grant wishes after her encounter with our goddess, and then, she will save our land, by taking down the people who destroyed it, who began this war! With the warriors, she shall once again bring peace to our land, before she goes forth on a much harder journey… one of the heart_ …║ There, the prophecy ended… for the seer was murdered, and his body burned.

_“He wrote that the seven warriors were born, and grew to around the age of twenty, being hidden by parents, and people who wished for the land to once more find peace. However, there were those who wished for the land to fall, and hunted the warriors,” Shippo ended, saying, “He didn’t write anything after that, and told me that he had to find more information to know more about it.”_

“I don’t get it… father never writes about anything, unless it’s about Erysun,” Kagome mumbled.

Shippo with his demon hearing caught it, and said, “Well, he must have wanted to do something different for once.”

Kagome merely nodded, before saying, “Will you excuse me, mother? I’d like to go out by the lake for a while.”

“Of course, Kagome,” Sakura nodded.

Smiling Kagome lifted herself from the ground, and walked through the door, not hearing the change in conversation between her mother, and Shippo. However, it wasn’t really something she cared about, since she’d rather go to her ‘special place’ that she’d had since she was little.

“What do you think is wrong with her?” Shippo asked.

 _A lot… mostly the love for you, you cannot see,_ Sakura thought. However, she shook her head, and said, “I don’t know.”

“Do you think she’ll be alright?”

“Most likely,” Sakura smiled. “She hasn’t been hurt yet.”

“Maybe I should go check on her?” Shippo asked.

“Perhaps you should,” Sakura replied, sipping on her glass of tea, since she’d sent a servant to fetch it.

“Yes, I believe I will!” Shippo said. “You don’t need to be outside… but I feel that I’d be rude. You wouldn’t mind, would you, Sakura?”

“Of course not, dear,” Sakura waved her hand.

“Very well, I’ll leave once I know she is well. Goodbye, Sakura.”

“Have a nice journey, Shippo.” Sakura twisted the wooden cup within her hands, and smiled slightly. Oh, she knew what Kagome might do, but she also knew that Shippo wouldn’t accept. However, it was a lesson she still needed to teach her daughter, that way she wouldn’t be so vulnerable when it came to the subject of love.

* * *

 

“Kagome?” Shippo called again. He’d already checked the lake, after following her scent, but unfortunately, the girl had already moved on, and had left the place far behind. Now, it seemed like her scent suddenly disappeared. So, he opted to shouting, which he knew would travel around the entire home. Plus, with his demonic hearing, he could probably hear her should she say something back to him… though, she might not.

“Shippo?” Kagome said, closer to the house. His deep demonic voice had been carried on the wind, and she glanced back before sighing.

Making her feet go forward, she walked about the cobblestone path, and continued to come closer to… _home._ Walking the windy path, she lifted her hand, and tucked a strand of hair before her ear, before it was lifted into the wind. Sighing, Kagome allowed it, and noticed how it once again fell into her face once the wind died down.

“Kagome?” came her voice once more. Turning, she saw Shippo running up toward her. Turning her head, she closed her eyes to stop the tears she knew would come if she once more thought about his other life.

He just wasn’t hers to have.

“Kagome, there you are,” Shippo smiled, making things seem bright and cheery. However, his smile faded when he saw that she wasn’t even looking in his direction. The scent of salt filled his nose, and he gulped, still not knowing what to do, since his mate barely ever cried in front of him.

“Um… Kagome? Pl… please… um… don’t cry,” Shippo said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Kagome burst into tears, pressing her fists to her eyes, and allowing them to drift down her face. Her voice sounded like hiccups, as she tried to say something, but she stopped, allowing herself to be taken by grief. Without warning, she launched herself at the youkai male, and wrapped her arms around him, sliding to the ground in the process.

Shocked, Shippo lifted his arms slowly. However, once Kagome let out another sob, he wrapped his arms around her back, and tightened his hold, trying to calm her. Whispering, he said, “Please, Kagome… calm yourself; you will become sick this way.”

Looking up at his face, she whined again, and buried her face in his shirt. Her tears came faster, and she sobbed harder, just letting them stream like a waterfall. She tightened her hold, and took in his scent through her weak nose. She could actually tell what he smelled like this close, and she wished, quietly, that she could smell him when he was covered in sweat and panting.

Holding the crying girl, he gulped, and began rubbing her back. He was at a loss; he didn’t know what to do, and he was trying his best, even though as she began trying to hiss in pants of air, he knew something was wrong.

Patting his hand against her back, Shippo listened as her sobs stopped, and she began loosening her grip. She pulled away from him, and struck him with a question that shocked him.

“Shippo… why don’t we leave all this? We… **we** could leave Erysun, and start our own family, together. I… I… I love you,” she said. Her hands turned to fists once more, and she gazed up at him through frightful eyes. She didn’t want to know his answer, but she wanted him to… all at the same time.

“Ka… Kagome, I…” Shippo said, raising his hands in defense.

“Answer me!” Kagome shouted.

“I… I…” Shippo found himself at a lost, but finally frowned in understanding. “Kagome, I can’t.”

Tears once more falling from his eyes, she yelled, “Why? Why can’t you love _me_?”

He straightened his back, and faced off with the human girl. His mouth finally opened, and he said, “Kagome! Stop this! I. Have. A. Daughter! I can’t just leave my daughter and my pregnant mate for a… a…”

“A what? A girl that loves you, that wants you, that will fucking give you everything you ever wanted,” Kagome growled, her eyes narrowed. Her heart was splitting with every word that slipped from his mouth.

“No, Kagome. A girl who’s only thinking about herself, not the other people around her, and how your ‘wish’ will effect other people,” Shippo growled, “I’m sorry, Kagome… but I can’t. Maybe if you were older, and I met you first, but you’re not the person that makes me happy.”

Turning from her, he walked away. However, before he could get very far, another male, his head down bumped into him. Staggering back, Shippo looked down at the male, before saying, “Hojo?”

Kagome stopped her tears, as anger set in. She was about to shout something at him, but she noticed that he’d stopped, and a man now stood before him. _Father Hojo?_ She questioned herself, not quite recognizing the man. He looked like her father, yet, at the same time, he looked like a beggar. However, the book within his hand… that had to be her father…

The male looked up with tinted red eyes, before turning his attention toward Kagome, a frown set on his face. Narrowing his eyes, as if in thought, he grabbed hold of his head, but was only hit with the small black book that was within his hand. He looked like his mind could not be made up, and very messy. His clothes were dirty, and he was blinking constantly, as if he had had trouble staying awake.

“Father?” Kagome asked, but when she did, the man fell forward, unconscious.

Running to the mans side, she lifted one side of him, and turned to Shippo saying, “Shippo… help me.” Her heart broke, but she continued to help him get her father inside, since the man was obviously exhausted and in need of rest.

As they began moving into the house, Sakura showed herself at the doorway, looking down at the man. “Oh my, Hojo!” she said, coming to his side, as they carried him inside. Looking about, she said, “Here, come this way, we’ll put him in his room.”

“Mother, this way goes to the bathing chamber,” Kagome said.

“Yes, but there is a door that leads to the other hallway,” she replied. “Now, come, we should put him into bed quickly.”

Shippo was mainly holding up Hojo, since his youkai strength would have allowed him to carry Hojo by himself. However, Kagome seemed determined to help her father, and so he allowed it. They mostly dragged Hojo toward his room, but they finally came upon it, and got him into bed.

Turning to the women, Shippo bowed his head, and said, “I will leave you to yourself. I will be in one of the extra housing, and shall stay until Hojo awakens.”

“Alright dear,” Sakura said, tucking a strand of hair behind her husband’s ear. She sat upon the bed, grateful that her husband was once more home. However, she went into a coughing fit again, and Kagome was instantly by her side.

“Mother, you should go rest, your illness is still upon you,” Kagome said.

Nodding, her mother patted her father’s hand, and stood. One hand went to her mouth, covering the coughing she was once again having, as the other wrapped around her chest.

 _Oh… mother,_ Kagome thought, tears welling in her eyes again. Her chest still hurt, and she felt like she was going to sob from the heartbreak she felt. However, she held strong, and felt concern for her mother rise. She knew something more then a regular illness was affecting her mother, but even the doctors didn’t know what was happening, since they had never encountered such a sickness.

Swallowing the salvia in her mouth, Sakura began moving toward her separate room, since men and women only stayed in the same room during sexual pleasures. Well, in their small town they did, she wasn’t sure about other places. It was just the way things worked in Erysun. Though men and women **could** stay in the same room, now, they were still following the old rules.

Watching her mother go, Kagome turned back toward her father, noticing his tired, and ridged body. However, she glared at him, knowing that he was probably more worried about finishing that stupid book then anything else. In fact… the thing was still in his hand!

Stepping toward it, Kagome looked at the cover, knowing that her father always put the title on the leather cover. The black binding did nothing to hide the golden writing on the front. To anyone who lived outside their country, they would think the words were merely lines, but it came from a type of Chinese writing, since their country was close by, and the Chinese had long ago taught their people how to write, but they still changed it.

After all, they were completely different people.

There, bright and unique, were the words: _The Shikon Legend – The Goddess of the World._ Of course, she could care less, but she wanted to know what her father was writing. She knew little about it, and wondered what was so important about a stupid land going into war, and being saved by eight people, that he thought about it more then his family. Why did he even want to write it in the first place?

Better yet, why couldn’t he be like normal men? Most would go out, and work in the markets, the mill, the metal shop, and things like that. No… her father has to be the damn book writer. Sure, there were many in the country, but he was ‘one of the best’. _Pff… not like I care_ , she thought, _he should be here for us, not running all over the land looking for dang… well, stories, thing’s that were made up by others, and probably already recorded down on paper! Idiot…_

After stepping out of the room, she shut the door, and began walking toward her own room, which was only a few doors down. However, she turned toward the room, and felt nothing but a chill… _probably that stupid book… it always gets chilly when he starts a new one._

However, she never noticed the few pieces of snow floating down in front of the door, nor how it followed her. It melted upon contact with the floor, but still it was following the young Erysunian girl. For whatever reason, no one in this world, would know…

* * *

 

_February 9, 1552_

_Dear Diary,_

_Hello, my dear diary. I haven’t written to you in ages, have I? Oh well… it’s just there has been a lot going on in the last week. I mean, lots of things, that you probably wouldn’t care about if you weren’t paper. *_ Laugh _\- Oh, I’m sorry diary, I never meant to make a joke out of it, or even say such a thing, but I feel… so strange since Shippo left the house._

_Oh, yes, I haven’t told you about that, either, have I?_

_…_

_No, I guess I haven’t. Very well, you noisy thing, I shall tell you. Where to start?_

_…_

_Hm… well, I guess I should start with the fact that he was here three days ago. He came to tell us about father’s newest work. Not that I cared… I never have, as you know. Anyway, he was talking to mother and I, and my feelings started getting the better of me, once again. So, I asked if I could go by the lake, when I actually wanted to visit that little grove that I now consider my hide away. Well, I was gone for only a short time, and the next thing I know, I hear, ‘Kagome?’ on the wind._

_It was strange… I found him following me, and I totally lost all control. I started to weep, which I haven’t done since my mother’s illness fell upon her about two years ago… was it? I’m not so sure now… she’s had it for so long that I kind of forgot how long she’s been lying in bed. *_ Sigh – _Anyway, dairy, I cried, and lunged myself into his arms._

_Dairy! He… he held me for the longest time. Yes, he’s my father’s friend and all, but he held me as if he cared! I started crying harder from it, feeling something within me rise, and I lost even more of the control I was trying to hold onto._

_That didn’t work to well…_

_You see, dairy, I pulled away from him, and started talking about running away from everything, and starting anew… together. He… well, he seemed shocked, but quickly got over that, and turned cold. He flat out broke my heart, dairy, saying that we could never be together, since I was younger, and that he had ‘that one person who makes him happy’._

_I COULD HAVE BEEN THAT PERSON! DAMN YOU, SHIPPO! I… I… I…_

_…_

_…_

_I… I hate him… dairy… I do…_

_No…_

_…_

_I still like him… just not as much. I don’t think I’ll ever love again, not after this dairy. I didn’t know that the handsome, sweet hearted, Shippo could be so cold toward a weeping woman. He could have just said, ‘no’, but instead he came up with all these stupid reason, after I yelled about not being a woman, and stuff like that._

_Do you want to know what he told me after that, dairy? No… I guess you wouldn’t, would you? Why am I asking you, dairy? Never mind, don’t answer that! That was a stupid question. Now… what was I writing about? Oh, I’m such an idiot, I forgot what I was talking about, and it was only a few seconds ago. Ah… at least I have a time where my mind isn’t on my ruined life, at least._

_…_

_Um… now that I’ve read what I was writing about, I’ll answer my question. After I asked him if I wasn’t good enough, and things, he said, that I was only thinking of myself, and that I wasn’t thinking about the other people around me. I mean…_

_That was the point, wasn’t it, dairy? Forget about the other people in life. Demons can take more then one mate, so why could he take me? He was all like, ‘I. Have. A. Daughter!’ and it scared me for a moment. Then, he nearly said I was selfish, and didn’t understand the world…_

_I do… but… my world is barely… well, it’s a little more then nothing._

_At least he had the nerve to tell me that he… well, he didn’t say it, but he had to had feelings for me. After all, he said, ‘If you have been older, and I’d met you first…’ That has to count for something, right?_

_That is why I can’t hate him…_

_…_

_However, the cold feeling I now have where my heart is… I can’t love him. Its like I’m stuck in the middle with no way out. I feel like the walls are literally closing in around me, and my world is falling apart._

_ITS JUST NOT FAIR! WHY DO ALL THOSE STUPID, YET BEAUTIFUL WOMEN GET EVERYTHING I SHOULD HAVE? WHY? TELL ME WHY, GOD DAMN YOU! I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY MY LIFE IS SO SCREWED UP, YET THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO DESERVE IT._

_LIKE YURA MASUMAKI!_

_This was before Shippo came, but about four days ago, the day after I stopped writing, she got in my face, dairy. She was wearing on of the most beautiful kimono’s I had ever seen, and she starting snorting – YES SNORTING – about how I could never compete with her. Then, she was all like, ‘Why Kagome, are you still wearing those men’s hakamas? What are you, a boy?’_

_Her slut friends seemed to think it was funny, until I said, ‘Why Yura, it would seem that your still a bitch, with no class, no honor, and could be defeated by even the easiest of fighters… since you have no fighting skills at all.’_

_She turned on me, and slapped me! That bitch slapped my cheek, and glared, before saying, ‘Well, at least my father doesn’t roam the country side looking for fake ass stories.’_

_So, I decided to return the favor…_

_Um… what did I say?_

_…_

_Sorry dairy, I have to think for a moment._

_Ah…_

_Oh, right! I replied, ‘Yes, my father does roam the country side, Yura, but at least my father doesn’t have bastard children spread out within the entire city. My father… my father, Yura makes more money then you’ll ever see. Though he is barely there, I know he loves me, unlike your father… Hey, Yura, didn’t your father run off with another woman last spring?’_

_She huffed, and walked away. Damn, I showed her. However, afterward I didn’t feel good about it, since yes I do have finer things, but I was taught never to flaunt it. Plus, I saw the hurt inside Yura’s eyes, because she loved her father, and unlike mine, he wanted her… until he saw that ‘sexy, bitch over there’ as they’re calling her._

_Still, if Yura even had my life, she would think that her world had crumbled into a millions pieces. She would want to wear men’s clothing, since her father would have wanted a male child, but with her mother’s sickness, he couldn’t get another one, thus setting all the disappointment that had grown since you were five years old upon your shoulders… She would be miserable…_

_Just as I am now…_

_Did I mention my father returned? I don’t believe I did… but he returned on the day that Shippo told me that I could never be with him…_

_He looked so tired…_

_Anyway, he still held that stupid book in his hand. Pff… if I ever get ahold of that book, he’ll never see it again. I hate it when he goes out, and nearly forgets about mother and me. I mean, when he came back he stared at me as if he were trying to remember who I was. What is wrong with that? A lot, dear dairy…_

_He finally got out of bed around noon the next day, and went straight into his study. He never even asked if_ his _wife was getting better. No… he just slipped from his room, and went straight into his study, along with that stupid book, and all the information he found. I didn’t even know he had it, since he’s stuffed it into his button pocket. He hasn’t left that damn study since yesterday, and if you walk by, you can hear his pencil scribbling on the blank pages._

_At least… the house isn’t cold anymore._

_It was so strange… when I walked away from his room, leaving him to rest; I felt this chill that race through my spine. I was shocked, but ignored it, thinking it was like all the times before. However, the next day, the servants asked me if I’d drug snow into the house, since there had been water upon it after I walked through them._

_Who would do that?_

_…_

_…_

_Next subject please, dairy. Ah… oh, yes, mother. Well, there isn’t much to say about mother… exact she’s not getting better, even after the doctor ordered her to stay in bed completely._

_I don’t think she’s going to make it, dairy. I honestly don’t. I mean she just seems to be getting worse. She tried to ask me something yesterday, but all she got out was, ‘Kagome… pl… ease… get…’ before her voice went out on her. Yes, dairy, mother can’t speak now; she’d started writing everything down on paper, once I gave her the idea._

_Paper seems to be involved in this family quite a lot, ne?_

_It seems so strange without hearing mother’s softly spoken words filling a room of our home. I feel… like I’m losing touch with my family. I can’t do anything right, and now I can’t seem to see what’s in front of my face. Really… oh… that had nothing to do with the subject, forget me, dairy, but it is in ink, so I can’t get rid of it._

_Well, dairy… I’ve told you all that I can, since I have seemed to have forgotten the rest, so I will leave you for a few days, and then write again. Good night, dairy._

_Kagome Higurashi_

* * *

 

“Milord, please! Come quickly!” came a high-pitched voice of the other side of his study door. Writing the last sentence, he decided that he should call out, even if it was annoying. However, the woman started pounding on his door, he grabbed the book, he walking to it, before opening it, finding a frantic woman on the other side.

“Yes?” Hojo asked.

“Milord, it’s Lady Sakura… I think she’s dying, sir,” she whispered.

His eyes widened, and he looked down the hallway. Nodding dumbly from shock, he began following the young woman, not quite sure if he’d heard her right. She moved quickly, looking back, and shaking her head, as if knowing that he didn’t get what she’d said.

“This way, milord,” she said, bowing her head.

From where he was, he could hear sobbing, before his daughter, Kagome’s frantic voice screaming, “NO MOTHER! NO… DON’T LEAVE ME! PLEASE MOTHER, WAKE UP! PLEASE! DON’T GO! WHY? WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DYING ON ME, HUH? ANSWER ME! MOTHER! GET THE HELL OFF ME! I HAVE TO GET HER TO WAKE UP… before… it’s… to late… You fools; why?” She began to give off hiccup like sobs, as she sucked in soft intakes of air, trying to regain her breath, most likely.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he walked into the dimly lit room. He watched, as a servant stepped away from his wife, only to see that they’d placed a white clothe over her face, which meant death had fallen upon the person… Turning his head, he found his daughter rocking back and forth in a corner, before shaking his head, and looking at his dearest wife.

His grip tightened on the book in his hand, as he thought, _Sakura… why? Why couldn’t you wait a while longer… I wanted you to read my newest work… Why did you die before it was finished?_

Kagome glared at him, straight into his eyes, which to her looked the same as ever, never noticing the slight tension within them. As he went to lean down, and stroke her covered cheek, Kagome stood and shouted, “Don’t you touch her!”

Turning, Hojo asked, “W… what?”

“Don’t you dare touch her! You don’t care about us! You never have, so don’t you dare touch her as if you care! You’re no father of mine!” Kagome yelled.

“Kagome… what is wrong with you?” he asked, standing to face his daughter.

“What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you? You never pay attention to me, and you shunned mother, as if she were a disease! All because…” Kagome growled, “ALL BECAUSE OF A DAMN BOOK!”

Before Hojo could respond, Kagome darted forward, grabbing hold of the book, and running through the door like a wild cat. She ran through the halls ignoring the pounding of her father’s feet, and quickly made it outside, before turning to her father.

“Kagome! Give me that book, now, young lady!” he hissed.

“Why?” Kagome yelled, “Why is it that a book is more important to you, then us?”

“Its not Kagome, but that book…” he was cut off by her voice once more.

“No, don’t tell me that! I know, I’ve been living the opposite side of the line, while you’ve been running all over the place, never paying attention to me or mother!” she yelled.

“I’ve thought about you everyday, Kagome! Now, give me the book,” he hollered.

“NO!” Kagome shouted, before gripping the spine between her fingers.

“Kagome, no!” Hojo said, much more quietly then he thought he would.

As she began to tear the spine in half… something happened. The air turned cold, as pages un-held by her fingers began to shake, but there was no wind. Kagome felt her hair fall from its binding, but paid no heed, even as the sun seemed to be blocked from view. Suddenly, and without warning, a white light shot from the book, and into the distance, before it faded.

Hojo having turned his face, turned back toward the book, to find the book lying upon the ground, the pages spread wide, since it was lying on its spine. However, his eyes turned toward the white ribbon that had been within his daughter’s hair, and noticed that it was lying across the book… _Where is Kagome?_ He wondered, but went to grab the book, and the ribbon, wondering for a moment, what might have happened to her?

“Kagome?” he called.

As if muffled, and distant, he heard the replied, of, “Father? W… here are… you?”

Frowning, he looked down at the book once more, and thought of something. The light… it had come from the book, so maybe when it receded. _No, please lord; don’t tell me… my daughter has been sucked into the Shikon Legend?_

Once more, he turned the book so it was on the first page, and began reading, going over the part about the future seer talking about the _Shikon miko…_ however, it had been changed, and he began shaking his head, as he read: ║ _The Shikon miko would be upon them, within twenty years of time…_ ║ - however, instead of reading: ‘with no name’ like he’s wrote, he read - ║ _with the name of: Kagome!_ _She along with the ‘Seven Shikon Warriors of the Goddess’ shall save the Sengoku Jidai_ ║

His thought was lost, when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning toward it, he found a panting Shippo, who looked at the ribbon, before anything else.

“Hojo? Where is Kagome?” Shippo breathed deeply.

“I… I… I don’t know,” Hojo said, holding the book as if dear life. He didn’t want anything to happen to it now, should the story be changed again, the Shikon miko could die… and his daughter would be lost forever.

“What? Maybe she ran away?” Shippo said, trailing his eyes over the place.

“Yes, maybe,” he said, not wanting to reveal his new secret.

“I’ll call the watch, and have them start looking for her right away,” Shippo said, running from the house.

Hojo merely sat there, nodding, barely hearing what he had said, as he stared down at the book. His poor daughter… was now apart of a legend he should have just forgotten about in the beginning.

* * *

 

Kagome sat upon the snow, looking around at the strange area, not quite knowing what had happened. She just remembered snow or something coming out of the book, and then boom… away from home. Sighing, she slid to the ground from her kneeled position, and held her knees.

However, she looked over at a woman for a second, and then turned away. Turning back, she said, “Hey! Are you awake?”

No response…

Silence like a knife cutting through her, Kagome turned away, and heard a distant, soft sound of, “Ka… gome?” That was her father’s voice.

Bring her hands up, she cupped them to make the sound travel, and shouted, “Father? Where are you?”

It merely echoed, and no respond came. Where was she? Where was her father? However, the image of her mother appeared, and she felt tears begin falling from her eyes. She didn’t even have time to grieve…

“You shouldn’t be here,” came a woman’s voice behind her.

Turning, Kagome found the woman in chains staring at her. Blinking, Kagome sighed, before asking, “Why?”

“The mononoke’s will get you,” she replied.

“Where are we?” Kagome asked, not having heard the answer as the wind picked up.

“Sengoku Jidai, duh.” The woman turned her head, as if disgusted, but then turned back, before asking, “You’ve never been there, have you?”

“No,” Kagome said.

“Well, good for you, the place sucks,” the woman replied.

“What is your name?” Kagome asked… “Plus, why are you chained up like that?”

“Well, lets say, me and the villagers don’t get along very well,” she said.

“Name?” 

“You may call me ‘Wind Slasher’.”

“That’s a strange name,” Kagome replied.

The woman nodded, before sighing, “You know, you really should leave before those demon wanna be-s get here, and tear you to pieces.”

“What are you talking about?” Kagome asked. However, a growl sounded behind her, and she turned to find a dog looking thing staring at her. It growled again, before leaping toward her. Screaming, Kagome ducked away…


	2. A Feverish... Woman?

“AHHH!” Kagome screamed, holding her hands above her head. She glanced back, to see the dog like things growling at her, yet three at the woman hung on the stone like statue behind her.

Her eyes searched the ground frantically, as she dodged their attacks. However, she got nicked on the arm, and screamed, holding onto her wound. It wasn’t big, but those fangs… where something different.

The large white, almost blue looking _dog_ was larger then she expected. Its head looked like it had ice like horns sticking from the back, as the black eyes stared at her. She could see no light within those eyes, just a huge black abyss that never seemed to end, as the thing took a step forward, causing the foot making a wolf looking print in the snow. The whole animal didn’t seem to have fur, but ice forming along its body, which cracked, and groaned as it moved… quickly. Those silver fangs could be seen, as it pulled its lips back, to snarl as she stepped back.

The tail behind it began to sway back and forth wildly, seeping at the snow upon the ground. For the length, it seemed strange, but where she came from, strange was usually a good thing… so it must have been the way they came. However, when this ‘mononoke’ lunged forward, Kagome’s eyes widened, and she moved quickly.

Flipping onto one hand, she turned herself head down within the snow, a hard feat since the snow began sinking beneath her. Pushing herself up, she flipped back onto her feet, and got down into a karate defense position, and waited for the thing to come at her again.

The woman, dressed in a blue tunic, watched with a small smirk. Her sliver hair blew in the softly whispering winds, as her icy blue eyes watched the scene before her. This girl was good! She could actually fight, and from what she saw, the girl might be able to hold her own. Of course, that changed when the ‘demon wanna be-s’ decided that numbers would work so much better. Sighing, she continued to watch, though something nagged her to protect the wench, even if they’d only spoken with each other for a few moments.

Still… she felt a connection with this girl… She couldn’t understand what the hell it was, since she’d never met this girl, and she’d suddenly appeared before her. The girl was strange, yet at the same time, it was like a sudden bond wrapped around them. However, the feeling didn’t leave, and she felt kind of bad for allowing the petite girl to face this alone. True, it wasn’t any of her business, but… she didn’t know!

Who came when a strange blue light had swept over the land…

Looking at all the animal like creatures moving toward her, Kagome stepped back. Her first instinct was to run, but there was nowhere to run to! Her second instinct was to scream for help, but the only help was a woman dressed like a man, and was tied to a fucking rock! Her last instinct was to fight back, but… she had no weapon! Taking another step backwards, she looked to her left, finding a stick there. However, the creatures were moving in fast, and she had to be quicker.

At the same moment that mononoke’s all sprang forward, Kagome rolled to the side, feeling a few pairs of claws rip at her hakamas. However, she paid no attention to it, as she slid in front of the chained woman, and grabbed the stick, holding it up like she would her ninjara.

“You’re going to fight with a stick?” the ‘Wind Slasher’ asked?

“Yes,” Kagome shouted, trying to keep her mind on the creatures before her.

“I told you…” they began stalking forward, “You should have run, but did you listen to me? No! Now, you’re going to be mononoke food.”

Ignoring her, Kagome swung the stick, managing to slam it against one of the creature’s faces. It snapped the things head to the side, but other then that, it merely shook it off, and she was left with a broken stick. Gasping at it, she turned toward the snarling creature, and screamed.

She felt like she was going to die. She had just got there, and didn’t even get to explore, like she felt she needed to. She had always wanted to explore another land, yet at the same time, she wanted to just go home. She wanted to go home… she wanted to mourn her mother, and she wanted to cry on her father’s shoulder, even if he was a total ass. She began to cry, and huddled in on herself, not knowing what was going to happen next.

“I… I just want… to go home,” she hiccupped quietly. She knew no one could hear her, but she felt the need to say it.

The woman above her frowned, and bit her lip, trying to decide what was best to do. However when the mononoke’s were about to tear the girl apart, she said, “Man! I can’t watch these losers kill a woman!”

The Wind Slasher’s eyes closed, as the wind picked up. Suddenly, her eyes opened, with fierce determination within them, as she began pulling on her bonds. The chains around her wrists snapped quickly, as she continued to pull, the damn mononoke’s nearly upon the girl. The next to snap from the stone was her left ankle, before she roughly pulled out her other wrist, before pressing against the one wrapped around her waist. Her eyes widened, and the mononoke’s were tossed backwards by the wind, as the Wind Slasher snapped the final bond tying her to the slab of stone.

The woman was free, and she was out for revenge. However, her hand came up, and she flew at the creatures’, as Kagome raised her head. Shocked, Kagome watched as the woman slashed through the mononoke’s, without a weapon. However, she could feel the wind whipping around her, and wondered for a moment what was happening… until she remembered the information from her father’s note.

║ _Seven Warriors shall be born…_ ║trying hard to think, she shook her head. She’d never heard anything about them using wind as a weapon, like the woman before her was doing. However, she did hear that they would each be different in a way, and had a ‘power’, like the prophecy had said.

Being a smart girl, Kagome gasped, and thought, _am I inside that stupid book?_ Shaking her head, she watched the woman slash through the mononoke as if they were nothing but glass.

Wind Slasher cut through another mononoke, even after it tried to bite off her hand. The wind seemed to move as she wanted it to, and she moved about in the air, yet on the ground. Kagome had a hard time keeping up, but she knew that somehow the Wind Slasher was shifting the wind, as if playing with it.

Snapping her wrist, she commanded the wind to blow another mononoke away from her body. However, her blade slammed into another one, which had come up next to her in an instant. She watched them either fly through the air, or crumble to snow as they died. They were, after all fake mononoke. A witch had made them… though the villagers didn’t know that…

Swinging around, she struck another in the head, sinking her blade into the skull, and suddenly rose off the ground, using the beast as a mount, as another came flying at it. Being mindless, the other mononoke grabbed hold of its dying friend, and began to tear at it, never once noticing that it was one of its own kind. However, it wasn’t like she cared.

Looking around, she slashed the head from the one finally leaving its friend, and coming toward her. Quickly, she moved away, as the head rolled down the hill. Looking back over at the girl, she sheathed her sword, and began to walk away.

“Hey, wait,” Kagome, said, after watching her start to walk away.

“Hmm…” the other woman said, turning back to her. However, her head felt light, and she gripped her temples, before sliding to the ground. Finally the battle fatigue came upon her, and she slumped forward, panting. True, she knew it was more then the battle, for she’d survived much worse, in worse conditions.

Kagome rushed forward. Her hand went to the woman’s forehead upon seeing the redness of her cheeks, and watching her eyes flicker. Her mother had fallen ill like that once, and the doctor had come to examine her. Gasping, Kagome said, “We have to get you inside! You’ve got a very bad fever, and it will only get worse out here.”

“I’m not going in there,” the woman indicated with her head, the direction of the village.

“You have to, you could die this way!” Kagome said.

“Why did I save you?” the woman shouted, “All you are is trouble! I told you, I’m not… go-ing…”

She slumped forward into Kagome, and she would have turned red in embarrassment if she didn’t know she needed help. Lifting the woman the best she could, she began walking toward the village. However, she glanced back at the woman, and turned her head slightly upon seeing the symbol upon her chest. It was not clearly visible, since her clothing had covered it, but the rip now in the collar showed off the small symbol on her chest, right above the crease between her large breasts. _Strange… why does she have the symbol for woman there?_ Kagome silently wondered.

However, the red face, and panting of the woman made her turn her attention back toward her goal. The village was actually closer then it seemed, cause she was getting there quickly. Or, maybe it was the fact that it was down hill, and easier to get to.  Either way, she made it to the first line of snow stricken trees, which seemed deader then anything else.

She could see people moving around, and some even stared at her, though she knew not why. They seemed to be curious as to why she came from that direction, or maybe it was because she was half carrying, half dragging another woman toward the nearest place they could stay. She couldn’t see much, but she was only on the outside of town.

Within minutes, she was within the town, and asking people where she could find a place to stay for the night. She tried to explain many times that her ‘friend’ as sick, and needed help, but people seemed to ignore her. However, she finally got her information, when the woman next to her slumped lower, making it harder to see anything but her head on Kagome’s shoulder.

After thanking the lady, Kagome began walking toward the place she’d described, and pointed out. The steps were hard to take, after walking so quickly down the hill. Her companion was heavier then she seemed, and it was hard to move through all these people at the same time. However, she managed to make it, and walked up the steps, and into the main room.

Here people stared as well, as she moved up to the counter. They seemed to move away, as if sickened by her presence, but she ignored them. Holding up the other woman, as if she were merely a sack, she looked at the small man behind the counter, before saying, “Please, I need a room.”

He looked up, and blinked a few times. He nodded, and said, “Payment?”

“Oh, of course,” Kagome said. Gently, she leaned her companion against the counter, making sure that everything was covered, including the symbol on her chest. As she was kneeled, she reached into her pocket, and pulled out a bag. She hadn’t needed it, but she had wanted to visit the market in Erysun, so she was kind of glad she had brought it.

Pulling out four pieces, she dropped them on the counter, and asked, “Will these do?”

The man seemed to look at the coins closely, before his eyes widened. Staring at the girl, he seemed to think she were royalty from what she got. However, he quickly said, “Yes, yes, these will pay for our best room for the next four days, miss.”

“Really?” Kagome asked. She looked down at the small bag, and quickly stuffed it back into her pocket. She didn’t know anything about money here, but if four coins could get her the finest room for four days, then hell, she was going to keep hold of them.

“Yes, did you not know that you hold one of the most valued coins?” he asked, his mouth open. Quickly, he closed it, as if suddenly realizing he’d just given out a bit too much information then he should have to a person who knew nothing of the money she held. However, what he’d said had been said, and he bowed.

“Thank you! I need to get my friend some rest,” Kagome said, not wanting to say that her friend needed help. She was afraid that if anyone knew about that symbol, then something bad would happen. So, she gripped the woman, and pulled her back up onto her shoulder, and back, walking forward, behind the man.

They walked down a hallway, but turning a corner, and going up a set of stairs. After that, they past by five to six hallways with many, many rooms, and a nice span between them, meaning they were large rooms, before they finally came to a door. The room must have been large, for it was located at the end of a hallway, unlike the others, which were along the side of the halls, while this one was sectioned off. Smiling, she thanked the man once he opened the sliding door, and turned back after setting her companion next to the wall.

“Miss, would you like room service, or merely be left alone?” the man asked.

“We would like to be left alone, thank you,” Kagome said, looking down at the other woman. She wasn’t sure, but she was sure the Wind Slasher would probably want some privacy.

Plus, she didn’t want to be bothered anyway…

After the man was gone, she looked over at her woman companion, and decided it was time to help her. Gulping, she lifted the woman, and drug her to the bed. After settling her within it, she tried to remember how to break a fever, but only few things came to mind. She knew instantly the first would take to long. The woman would be in bed for weeks, and possibly not make it.

The second was getting medicine, but she wasn’t sure even where to get medicine here. Plus, the woman could be dead or dying by the time she got back. She didn’t want to know that the person who saved her had died… so she scratched that option from her mind. Not to mention, she wasn’t even sure if they had medicine for a fever in this… place.

However, the third made a blush form on her cheeks. She looked over at the woman, and heard her groan in what seemed to be pain. Biting her lip, she wiggled it for a moment, before nodding to herself, and stepped forward. Shaking her head, she wondered if it was a good idea, and stepped away, still embarrassed by the idea. She couldn’t just do that. It was unheard of, and she didn’t want this other woman to think she had a thing for her, when that was not true. She only liked men, though she’d heard of women who made love to women…

Taking in a large breath, she stepped forward, and began undressing the woman. She was going to share her body heat with this strange woman, so the fever could break more easily. It worked better when the other person was unconscious according to her mother’s doctor. Setting her sword, and bags on the wall, Kagome took in another large breath, before looking away as she began taking off the fabric covering the woman’s flesh.

“Ok, Kagome… don’t chicken out now. This might be the only way to save her…” she mumbled to herself, but the last part seemed to have a small whine attached.

Once the tunic was off, and settled in a chair close by, Kagome turned back to the woman. Quickly, before her nerve died, she undressed herself, and set her clothes over to the side. Sure, she was naked, and could feel a chill, but before she could do otherwise, she got into bed with the woman, and pressed their bodies together.

 _Ok, chill Kagome! You can do this,_ she thought. Wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck, she began to share body heat with this strange woman, and sighed. However, she brushed her arm over the woman’s pert, erect nipples, and felt strange. Sighing again, she tightened her hold to make sure she didn’t chicken out, and leave.

Her eyes became heavy, and she finally allowed her head to settle against the woman’s collarbone. Sleep began to take her, and she yawned, before settling into sleep… a strange woman sleeping underneath her.

* * *

 

Something was playing with her hair. It was twirling it around something, causing Kagome to draw from her sleep. Groaning silently, she pressed closer to the body beneath her, and shifted, taking notice that something wasn’t right. The thing underneath her was rock hard, not soft like the woman had been.

Opening her eyes slowly, she pressed her hand against the hard thing beneath her. Lifting herself a bit, she blinked at what was beneath her. However, her eyes widened, and she gasped. _THAT’S NOT A WOMAN! OH MY GOD!_

“Wow, you’re pretty straight forward, aren’t you?” he asked. Seeing Kagome frightened look, he twirled the hair within his hand quicker, and smirked, “Not that I mind…”

“EEEKKK!” Kagome screamed. Grabbing the pillow that had not been in use, she suddenly pulled away from the man, and backed herself against a wall. Eyes wide, she screamed again, and covered herself.

The silver hair, golden eye man seemed to take this in amusement at first. However, seeing her terrified look, he said, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Who? Wh… at? W-hen?” Kagome asked.

“Oh, that! My name is Sesshoumaru, I’ve been here the whole time, and I’m afraid I don’t understand, ‘Wh… at’ exactly,” he replied.

Holding the pillow closer to her body, she whispered, “What… happened to the Wind Slasher…?”

He sat up in bed, his face flushed red as the woman’s had been. He smirked again, and said, “Oh, her… well… I can explain that…”

“What did you do to her? She’s not well, she needs to have treatment!” Kagome yelled.

“I… You see…” Sesshoumaru said. He frowned, before saying, “Look, I’m tired, and I don’t feel well either… What happened to that whole sharing body heat idea?”

“How do you know that?” Kagome asked, angrily.

“Look, why don’t we go back to sleep?” he said, holding his hand out in offering.

“I don’t think so!” she said. However, she wasn’t that far away from him, and his hand gripped her upper arm, pulling her upward, and toward him. She struggled, until he spoke again.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if we were both women, now would it?” Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome watched, as something happened. Before her eyes, the man shifted, and changed into the woman she’d seen before. The symbol returned, and she gasped, before being pulled into the woman’s arms. However, it wasn’t so bad, and she actually found the happiness of sleep after a while…

* * *

 

Her eyes opened early the next morning. There was a soft rustling noise, which made her roll over and moan. Her body was ready to get up, but her mind was in turmoil as to what to do. However, rolling over toward the wall the bed was against, something struck her mind.

The woman… or was it a man? Oh, she didn’t know, but whatever it was, it was gone now. Maybe that was why there was a thumping noise, like someone’s boots hitting the floor. She knew someone was not wearing her flimsy sandals, for they would never make such a terrible noise, but the thing behind her must have been dressed.

Sitting up, she yawned and stretched out her muscles. Her eyes had closed, but she had this strange feeling, like someone was watching her. Putting down her arms, she opened her eyes, and scanned the room…

“You know, you really should cover yourself,” Sesshoumaru said. He sat at the table, his eyes looking at her face, and nothing else. However, he had peeked, but that had seemed rude after the girl tried to save him, even after she found out he was a man. Most would have gone screaming in terror, but she allowed herself to be pulled back into his arms in the shape of a woman, and slept beside her, sharing precious body heat, and trying to help break the fever he’d caught. It’d worked, which he was grateful for.

Straightening up, Kagome turned her eyes toward the man sitting cross-legged at the short table. However, he seemed to only be interested in her face, until she saw his eyes glance down, very quickly. Grabbing the blankets, she pulled them up around herself, and shouted, “PERVERT!”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened for a second, before they turned hard. She began throwing anything, and everything in his direction, while sitting on the bed. Obviously, she’d caught him peeking… it wasn’t his fault he was a man. Dodging the flying items, he worked his way toward the small girl, who was quickly running out of things to throw.

“Stay away from me!” Kagome screamed, as she threw the last pillow upon the bed. It hit him in the forehead, making him stop, and frown. She watched, as he walked closer, the look in his eyes making her huddle up inside the covers. She felt intimidated for the first time in a long time. She hadn’t felt like this, since the first time she’d met her sensei.

 _God; that hurt,_ Sesshoumaru thought, glaring at the small woman. He had been trying to be peaceful, and nice, but this damn girl just had to go and ruin it. Standing before her, he saw her huddle in on herself, as if she were going to cry.

“Look,” he said, “I like the fact that you tried to save me and all, but just because I had to see how hideous your body was, doesn’t mean that I was looking at it because I liked it.”

Gasping, Kagome curled in on herself completely, and felt tears in her eyes for some reason. Not being able to contain herself, she began to cry, and buried her face in the blankets below her. She’d always had this thing about others criticizing her just because she wasn’t good enough. Everyone was the same, even the people she tried to save.

Frowning, Sesshoumaru reached out toward the sobbing woman, and gently touched her arm. His hand rubbed against her forearm, as she cried her eyes out, the twin orbs seeming to flood like the ocean. Sesshoumaru was at a lost, he knew, but he didn’t really know how to care for a woman when they were sad, or angry… even if he could turn into one himself.

Minutes seemed like hours, as Kagome continued to cry, not because of the whole criticizing thing itself, but also because she’d realized that this was not her home. It seemed that something so small, something that barely affected her before, had suddenly tore through her, reminding her that she wasn’t home. She was in another place; a world she knew nothing of, and a place she could easily get herself killed in. Then, she wouldn’t have to go home, she’d just rot everywhere she fell… she didn’t want that.

Gulping, Sesshoumaru waited, whispering silent words that never seemed to reach the woman’s ears. However, he did get a chance to glance at her body once more. She wasn’t that bad looking, so he didn’t understand why something so little as him saying it was ‘ugly’ would cause this type of reaction in a woman. It had never happened before; no, the woman usually slapped him and then called him a ‘buta’ (pig) over her shoulder. Why this one didn’t just ignore him was beyond his male mind.

Giving off a hiccupped sigh, Kagome slowed her sobbing, and looked up at Sesshoumaru. Her watery eyes betrayed her, she knew, but she didn’t care… she only wanted to go home. She told him so, with, “I miss… my…”

Not understanding completely, Sesshoumaru asked softly, “What do you miss?”

“My… m… home,” Kagome hiccupped.

“Then you should go home,” he replied.

Kagome shook her head, before bowing it down, “I… don’t know how…”

“How can you not know how?” Sesshoumaru asked. He received one hell of a glare, as she snapped her answer.

“I don’t know, ok!” Kagome snarled, snapping her jaw together, before continuing. “I was in the courtyard of our home, then suddenly I was here!”

“Do you remember anything?” he asked.

Frowning, Kagome sat up in the sheets, making sure to wrap them tightly around herself. Her eyes narrowed in thought, as she said, “Snow…”

“What doesn’t snow have to do with your home?” Sesshoumaru sighed.

Shaking her head, Kagome said, “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then will you tell me what you meant?” Sesshoumaru continued.

“If you let me dress,” Kagome replied.

Sesshoumaru nodded, and straightened himself, before backing away from the bed. However she stayed in her spot, a blush rising into her cheeks, as he said, “Well?”

“Could you… turn around?” Kagome asked.

Sighing, Sesshoumaru turned from her, and allowed her the privacy she wished for. However, within minutes the woman was dressed and ready, so he turned, and eyed her for a moment. She was wearing the same clothing as before, and if she didn’t have that long hair, he’d have been sure she was a man. Dropping the thought, he waited for her to continue with their ‘conversation’.

“Well?” Sesshoumaru asked.

“Huh? What?” Kagome said, turning toward him.

“What did you mean?”

“Oh, that, gomen!” Kagome replied.

Rolling his eyes, Sesshoumaru waited.

“Anyway, I meant that I was holding this book my father had wrote… something about a goddess, and some warriors destined to unseal her. Then all of a sudden… when I tried to destroy it, cause he didn’t show any type of concern that my mother died not but a few hours before, snow… started to come out of the book,” Kagome said.

“Then you should go back the way you came,” Sesshoumaru said.

Narrowing her eyes, Kagome asked, “And how am I supposed to do that?”


	3. A Bit of Confusion

Narrowing her eyes, Kagome asked, “And how am I supposed to do that?”

“The same way you came,” Sesshoumaru replied.

“That’s the problem,” she said. She nearly snapped the word, “idiot” but she thought better of it, since he was pretty big guy. Damn, he could probably stomp her into the ground easily. That was not something she thought of as a pretty thought. Oh, no, that was a bad thing, and she wasn’t going to go there.

Sighing, Sesshoumaru asked, “Why is that a problem?”

“I don’t know how I **got here** ,” Kagome growled.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes now seemed like ice, as he said, “Look, just go home. I don’t care how you do it, but go home. You, obviously, don’t belong here, and since you want to go, then go.”

“Oh, yeah! What if I change my mind, Mr. Big shot?” she hissed. She hated when people told her what to do. It wasn’t how she was raised; she did things because she wanted to, not because someone gave her an order. Well, her mother was an exception! She would do what her mother asked, but anyone else and they had to deal more with her tongue before going off to do it themselves.

“Not my problem,” he said.

“What if I make it your problem, man-woman?” she growled.

“Oh, great come back,” he growled.

Turning her hands to fists, Kagome stepped toward him, and hissed, “What if I make it your problem?”

“You won’t, because I won’t allow you,” he said. He stepped away from her, and toward the sliding door. His hand reached out, but before he could touch it, he felt something slam against the back of his head. Annoyed, he turned and glared daggers at the woman behind him, but the young woman-child merely glared back.

“Don’t you dare think you can tell me what to do!” Kagome hissed, “You are not my father, husband, or my brother.”

“Yes, and lets thank _the Goddess Midoriko_ for that,” he replied, sarcasm dripping from his words.

“Midoriko?” Kagome asked, her rage forgotten for a moment.

Frowning, Sesshoumaru said, “You truly are from somewhere far away, aren’t you? The goddess of this land is Midoriko; everyone knows that! It’s said that she protects us, but so far, I don’t see her protecting anything.”

“Well, how am I supposed to know that? I just know that I remember hearing it said,” she replied hotly, her anger once more provoked. She glared at him once more, her eyes seeming to want to burn into his skin. However, she did feel something inside her pulling toward him, as if calling out to him. Ignoring the feeling, Kagome gritted her teeth together, wondering if it would help.

“Ask yourself where you’ve heard it,” he replied, once more indifferent.

 _God, I hate mmmeeeeennnnnnn,_ she screamed at herself. Growling, she asked, “And what do you mean by that?”

“I mean: ask yourself where you’ve heard it?” he replied, with a slight roll of his eyes.

“I see…” she said. Her eyes lost some of their fire, but the small flickering flame still sat there, deep inside her soul. Her mind reeled back and forth, wondering herself why she had heard that name. Then, a memory clicked into her mind, like she’d forgot it before, and then suddenly it came back to her.

_“I see,” Kagome said._

_“Oh, and he gave me this,” Shippo said, pulling out a piece of paper. “He said to please read it, that way you’d know a bit about the legend, though he was sure there was more to it then what he’d written down. Umm… its says:_

_“In another land, called ‘Sengoku Jidai’, long ago, a war broke out, and fell into turmoil. However, after twenty years of fighting, and blood, a future seer came forward with a prophecy that would forever change the land._ _║_ Seven Warriors shall be born, to complete the journey, of the Shikon Miko! She will come through a portal from another world… another civilization, and cast out a pure blue light over the land. She will travel to find the Shikon Warriors; to complete her task, she must find all seven warriors, who each have a different symbol placed upon their body! Once all seven warriors are gathered together… she must travel to our protector, Goddess Midoriko’s sacred mountain, and shrine. There, she will call forth the goddess, with the help of the warriors powers, and be given a powerful gift. The Shikon Miko… shall be able to grant wishes after her encounter with our goddess, and then, she will save our land, by taking down the people who destroyed it, who began this war! With the warriors, she shall once again bring peace to our land, before she goes forth on a much harder journey… one of the heart _…_ _║_ _There, the prophecy ended… for the seer was murdered, and his body burned._

_“He wrote that the seven warriors were born, and grew to around the age of twenty, being hidden by parents, and people who wished for the land to once more find peace. However, there were those who wished for the land to fall, and hunted the warriors,” Shippo ended, saying, “He didn’t write anything after that, and told me that he had to find more information to know more about it.”_

_“I don’t get it… father never writes about anything, unless it’s about Erysun,” Kagome mumbled._

“It… I heard it in a legend told to me by… by Shippo,” Kagome whispered, “My father was going to write a book, and amazingly he showed up on the same day…”

His eyebrow rose when she softly whispered the other male’s name. It sounded like she had deep feeling for the guy, though he could care less. She was probably dumped onto the street by him or something, and now she still loved him, yet at the same time she hated him. Her little heart was probably broken, and trying to mend itself back together.

Not that he cared. He’d saved her, and she’d saved him, it was only fitting. She’d been in his dept, even if he didn’t want her to be. Then, she repaid it, by sharing the heat of her body, even though she could have just gotten some medicine… though, that would have taken a little longer to work. However, since she wasn’t from here, he could excuse the whole, ‘let’s share body heat’ thing, since she didn’t know of the medicine’s they had. Still, he couldn’t give a shit about her stupid love life.

“Oh, and what legend was this?” he asked. His curiousity was poked at, as if he couldn’t help but want to know what she was talking about. _Especially since last night… when she allowed me to hold her soft body, even after my male form was revealed. It was like she didn’t know that all the ‘people’ like me are ignored, beaten, or harassed…_

 _I still don’t understand that. Why didn’t she run, and tell everyone that a ‘warrior’ was inside her paid room? Why had she merely stayed with me, sleeping beside me, when she knew that I could turn into a man, and… well, I could have done anything, really? I mean, I could have raped her or something by merely shifting back to my male form, yet she continued to sleep beside me, not once trying to get away. It… it felt good,_ his thoughts continued, but he blocked them when she finally began speaking again.

“My father called it…” she frowned, her eyebrows coming together, “I think he called it, the _Shikon Legend_ or something. I don’t know; I don’t make it one of my duties to read everything that… _man_ has wrote.”

Nodding, Sesshoumaru turned toward the door, before shaking his head. Quietly he opened the wooden door, before turning his head back toward her. Smirking, he said, “I suggest you don’t throw anything at the next sick male you keep inside your chambers, ma’am! They might not be as much of a gentleman as me, and actually take advantage of your sleeping state.”

Blinking when he walked from the room, Kagome finally heard the insult behind his words. Ok, so maybe there wasn’t an insult, but to her it registered as: ‘you’re an idiot! Just think of all the lovely things I could have done… that, well, wouldn’t have been so lovely for you.’

Huffing, she grabbed the rest of her things, before chasing after him. Waving her hand, she called out, “Hey!”

“What now?” he asked. His head turned when he past by a section of the wall where windows were craved out. However, he had taken a glance out the window for a moment, before settling his eyes on the woman-child now running toward him.

“How dare you!” she yelled, as if in offense. “I helped you, and you’re just going to walk away?” she asked, this time actually offended, “and insult me!”

“That was my plan,” he said, softly.

“You… you… _you,”_ she began, her anger beginning to rise again.

“You what?” he hissed.

Kagome gritted her teeth once more, staring straight into the eyes of the _man_ she’d saved. She wasn’t so sure he was a man anymore, since all the men she’d met at least knew when to be nice. However, this one was clearly brought up in a whorehouse or something, since he had no idea what polite meant. Raising her hand, like a mother who scolded her child, she yelled, “You son of a bitch!”

“Woman,” he warned.

“I can’t believe you! Do you have no manners at all? I’ve been through more then you would ever understand, and you… you continue to insult me. Yes, you saved me, and I saved you, but that gives you no right to insult my person, nor does it give you the right to act as if you own me. Where I come from, only the husband of a woman can do such things, yet here you are! Do your people have no government, no rules; NO, POLITENESS INSIDE YOU?” she screamed, catching the attention of many people.

Even citizens walking outside looked up toward the housing, and wondered what was happening. However, when they saw merely two people fighting, they figured it to be a lovers spat, or perhaps to lovers that were fighting over a small thing that would soon be righted when they returned to their room, and made sweet, sweet love. Many thought it funny, while others endearing, but there were some who thought they should just shut up and go to their room already.

Sesshoumaru glared, before saying, “You know nothing, woman. Go home already, you have no place here.” He’d expected his voice to go over the natural limit, but amazingly he managed not yelling at her. For some reason he wished not to, like he merely wished to cuddle her, and tell her everything would be all right. That, however, was never going to happen, and he continued to glare at the small woman.

“I’VE TOLD YOU BEFORE, YOU MORONIC JACKASS, I DON’T KNOW HOW,” she screamed, stomping her foot unto the floor. She felt him grab her arm, and pull her forward suddenly, until she was pushed up against his chest. Gasping, she looked into his eyes, and tried to leave his grasp, but he continued to hold her, his glare colder then ever.

“You are pushing my limits, woman,” he replied, his voice low. There was a growl afterward, and he could have sworn he, himself, was a mononoke. However, it was not possible, and he knew it.

“… L-l-L…” she tried, but couldn’t manage to actually say something. Trying to relax her muscles, she pushed her hand against his chest, trying to get away. However, his arm tightened around her, and he continued to glare down at her.

Letting out a sob, Kagome pushed against him, truly thinking he might try to force himself on her or something. Who knew, she might find herself dead within minutes. Maybe… maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, since she was alone in this world. This was a place she didn’t know, and she had no idea what she was going to do. All she knew was she was by herself, and no one could help her.

The other side of him pushed at his mind, trying to show him what he was doing. As if a glass mirror, one of the newest inventions that had rose within the world, had shattered before his eyes, he finally saw the sobbing, frightened woman-child within his grasp. He was too compassionate for his own good, he knew, but this woman was so much smaller then him. He could easily break her in half, and she seemed to know that, since she was trying very hard to leave his arms. She was pushing against him, whining, and sobbing at the same time, as if he were some kind of rapist trying to drag her into an alleyway. Her frightened face showed heavy emotions, and a clear sign that she’d never been in this type of situation and never wanted to be there again. Clearly, she’d only been held softly, or touched with a loving kindness when it came to a man, or she wouldn’t be so afraid of the way he was now holding her. Seeing this made his arm slack, trying to calm her, yet at the same time, trying to keep her close.

“P-please… l-l-let… m… me… g-go,” she cried, still pushing against him. He wasn’t holding her so hard, but she still wished for him to release her. He was holding her with a small amount of care, but she still wished for him to let her go. He **was** acting as if he cared, and cared about what she was suddenly feeling, but **she** wanted him to let go, now.

“Shh,” he heard himself say, though he was sure it was the woman inside him speaking, “calm down. You can become sick this way.”

_“Shh, calm down. You can become sick this way.”_

_“Please, Kagome… calm yourself; you will become sick this way.”_

_…_

_…_

They rung in her ears, making her think suddenly. Why had they said nearly the same thing? Why did she care? Shippo was shoved into the back of her mind where she wouldn’t have to think about him, except maybe when she saw him… if she saw him, but why did they ring in her ears. His words… or were this other man’s words louder. She wasn’t sure; they were both pounding against her mind, trying to confuse her, yet at the same time they were trying to merely block the other out.

Kagome whined, feeling a headache begin to form within her head. Burying her face in the tunic of her current companion, Kagome shut her eyes, wondering why the feel of his hand rubbing her back gave her comfort. She felt like she was finally getting the care she needed… that she deserved… that every slut had been getting, while she got nothing.

She’d always been told that in order to obtain a husband you needed to stay pure. By this, they meant staying a virgin, which hadn’t been hard, since men were never, really, a big thing on her mind. However, she had been starting to think that maybe if she spelt with another man, she’d know why the other girls’ looked so happy once they left the room. Why all the other girls’ got attention, and she was merely shoved into the background as the virgin wench? However, she liked this, merely being comforted.

“It’s alright, no one’s going to hurt you here,” he whispered.

Nodding, Kagome pulled away from him, rubbing at her eyes. She didn’t know why she was feeling this, so she turned her head, and fought down the feelings. Once they were gone, however, she felt like her old self, and smiled a bit.

* * *

 

Hojo continued to flip through the pages of his book. He knew that his daughter was somewhere in the book, but her name had engraved itself throughout the entire thing, so he wasn’t sure as to how far she was at the moment. She could be close to the beginning, when the wind warrior, Sesshoumaru was trying to comfort her, before a large event led her to another warrior, or she could be where they were walking up the large steps, which led to the summoning of Midoriko. However, it had only been a day, he was sure his daughter wasn’t that far along…

Maybe he should read the book? Maybe if he read the book quickly Kagome would continue through it at the same pace. However, he couldn’t let anyone else read it. If someone were to know that his daughter’s name was inside the book, they might think he was crazy, or did it just so they’d _think_ she was inside it. She was though… he’d watched as the blast of snow sucked her into the legend he’d spun.

Into a world that was much harsher then their own. Kagome would not understand the place he’d found research and different things that had been past down. However, since there wasn’t a lot on the subject, he’d had to put in pieces that he believed could have happened, or the people might have done. Their world was so much different from their own that Kagome could easily become confused…

He didn’t want to think about what else could happen.

 _Oh god, Kagome… where are you?_ He shook his head, continuing to flip through the pages. However, when he turned to the sixteenth page, the words, _║_ _Sesshoumaru continued to hold Kagome, trying to calm her nerves, while also trying to understand the sudden protectiveness that surged through his body. However, the wind warrior shook the feelings away, and finally let go of the woman, but his hands continued to caress her arms._

_Kagome smiled, looking up at the warrior, before frowning. She looked behind her, and said, “My room doesn’t become open until three days from now…”_

_“That’s all right… you stay here, and I’ll go find my comrades,” Sesshoumaru replied, turning his head away. He moved away from the smaller woman, his mind continuing to push away the feelings that were thrust into his mind. He knew he shouldn’t feel this… he knew he shouldn’t want to comfort this woman, but the woman inside him continued to want to. He was getting soft._

_Kagome’s frown became deeper, and she said, “But… I… you…”_

_“Look, you need to find your way home, and I need to find Jaken,” he said, moving away from the woman. He turned from her, and began walking down the hall. However, he didn’t expect for Kagome to follow him, nor did he expect her to grab his shoulder when they came out into the open._

_“You can’t just leave me,” she said._

_Sesshoumaru gave her a confused look, wondering what she was thinking. However, his confusion only lasted for a moment, when Kagome suddenly pushed him forward, calling him an ‘asshole’, and continuing to rant about how he had not manners. Gritting his teeth, he was about to speak, when he heard shouting from down below._

_There was screaming, until finally a soldier shouted that the ‘Wind Slasher’ had escaped and was in sight. People down below were in shock, as they watched the young woman shout at the deadly man. One of the soldiers yelled that their prey had an accomplice._

_Turning his head, Sesshoumaru looked down upon them, thinking,_ man… forgot to come out as a woman…

_Kagome looked confused, when another woman stepped up. Her hunter’s outfit billowed in the wind, as she pointed up toward them. Kagome, on instinct, grabbed hold of Sesshoumaru’s arm, and tried to hide herself behind him. She looked over his shoulder, to see the woman pull a bow off her shoulder, and swing an arrow into the string…_ _║_

Setting the book down, Hojo rubbed at his temples. He could tell the difference… where Kagome was… the words where she was located were changing into blue ink, while the other words were in black. She was slowly moving through the story, and it would take her a long time to finally get to the end… when her journey would change. However, he did not wish that to happen, for Kagome – even if others didn’t think so – was still to naïve to marry.

Though, since he’d never finished the ending, and didn’t have the information on it, he didn’t know which warrior Kagome would end up with. He just knew that it would either be Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, or Kouga. The legend had talked about how she grew close to each of these figures, but she’d only fall for one, completely. However, he couldn’t even feel by reading what was happening, exactly what his daughter would begin to feel, so even that way, he’d never know who she falls for until it happens… unless the words never show up, or she was never returned to him. His daughter, his little girl, was trapped inside a world where unlike theirs; she would have her heart broken, before someone else would mend it. However, it was not from a person that her heart would break, but from the way the people were treated.

His daughter was just too soft…

And to think, he’d never got to watch her grow up. True, she was his little girl, and he loved her, but since she was not a son, her mother could teach her everything she needed to know. Obviously, from what he’d been told, his daughter also needed a class for how to keep her feelings in check. Since he was never there… he could never teach her such things, and he’d probably crushed her long ago when he’d let slip that he couldn’t wait until Sakura became pregnant again… and hopefully gave him a boy.

Shaking his head, he turned back to the book, to find Kagome further then before. Sesshoumaru, who’d changed into a woman, and was controlling the wind, had already tossed her through the air. The huntress was firing arrow after arrow, as Kagome reached down and grabbed a nearby broom. Another figure had appeared off in the distance, and was riding forward with two horses, while Kagome faced off with the people.

_║_ _“Move aside, girl,” one of the soldiers yelled, “unless you’re helping this low life warrior.”_

_“What has he done to you?” Kagome yelled, standing before the woman._

_Another soldier stepped forward, while the huntress screamed to go away and that the bounty was hers. He pulled the rifle off his back, and pointed it toward her, saying, “Girl, unless you are in alliance with this warrior, then I suggest you move aside. We won’t hurt you, but we are authorized to seek and kill any warriors who cross us. This_ man, _who I wouldn’t be surprised you love, has stolen, raided, and thieved from nearly every home in this city.”_

_“You do realize that all the things you just said mean the same thing, right?” she called, grinning._

_“Girl, unless you move aside, we will be forced to take you down as well. This warrior has been killing people for years…” he didn’t finish, for Kagome’s sharp tongue cut in._

_“Now that I might believe. True, the Wind Slasher might have killed people, but its only because you are seeking his head. Tell me, has he ever killed an innocent person, or just the lousy soldiers who attack him?” she barked. Her stance changed, showing them that she was trained in the way of the warrior._

_“Fine, we have no chose,” he yelled, “Kill them both!”_

_Bottles were fired, but Kagome’s eyes changed. They turned from their normal blue to a deep purple, as she yelled, “STOP IT, LEAVE US ALONE!”_

_A sudden light spread out over them, sending a calm feeling into the air. However, without their knowing, the man with two horses came up beside Sesshoumaru, and grabbed him, saying, “Master Sesshoumaru.”_

_“Jaken,” Sesshoumaru called, his body changing once more, “What took you so long?”_

_“I’m sorry, Master Sesshoumaru,” Jaken replied, as he reared his horse around, “It takes a while to find one such as you.”_

_The light grew, before suddenly it was gone. However, when people looked around, both the people were gone. The girl had disappeared, and the warrior was riding off in a whirl of dust. The soldiers looked around in wonder, while the huntress stomped her foot, yelling about how they let him get away… again._

_What they didn’t notice was the man dragging the miko away. She was knocked out, but being taken somewhere unknown._ _║_ The chapter ended, and the next began, however he set down the book, not sure if he could continue to read. He knew that Kagome was still moving through the story, but he wasn’t sure if he could continue and watch as his daughter went through all the events that would face her.

Hojo sighed, placing his hand over the book. If only there was a way to bring her out. If only he could call out to her again… but… he did not know if it would work. It might, but then the story might change, since no outside forces speak to the Shikon Miko, except when she called out for her father in the beginning.

“Hojo! Hojo, are you in there,” he heard coming through his door. He called out to the person, knowing full well who it was, but he was still confused. He didn’t know what to do, and he certainly didn’t understand what was going on. However, he knew that he could not tell anyone… no, they would only take the book away, and he’d never see his baby again…

Though, there was a small chance of that already.

“Hojo,” came Shippo’s voice, “I’m sure we’ll find Kagome soon. Please, my friend, don’t lock yourself away like this, its not good for your health.”

“I know, Shippo,” Hojo said. He gritted his teeth, before calming his heartbeat to lie, “I just have no idea where Kagome would have gone… I haven’t been that good of a father.”

“You’ve been an wonderful father, Hojo,” Shippo replied, “You… just don’t have the time to spend with them.”

“Yes, that’s the point. I’ve never been here. Hell, I don’t even know what Kagome’s favorite color was,” he said, laying his head in his hands, and shaking it.

“Her favorite color is green,” Shippo said.

“See, I could not have told you that. The only thing I remember is that she has never liked Yura,” Hojo said. “Probably because she thinks I don’t want her…”

“Why would she think that?” Shippo said. “You shouldn’t think about these things… Besides, you can catch up with Kagome as soon as we find her, alright.”

“Yes… when we find her,” he said, shaking his head.

Shippo frowned, wondering if his friend was keeping something from him. It was not often that Hojo did, but he knew that his friend **was** keeping something from him **now**. Whatever it was, though, he was sure that Hojo would tell him when he felt he could.

* * *

 

Kagome groaned, rubbing at her head. Everything was dark, and she blinked away the spots before her eyes, before gazing around. Her eyes caught sight of a man, or… boy, whichever, but he was kneeling beside a fire, currently stirring the wood to keep it going. Letting a small groan pass her lips, she narrowed her eyes in thought, wondering if she was still with Sesshoumaru.

However, the black hair told her that this was not the man she’d been with. What had happened, though? How had she gotten here? Why was she here? Where was Sesshoumaru? Sitting up, she gazed at the black haired person, and narrowed her eyes, but not in thought, merely glaring at his back.

As if he’d sensed her glare, he turned and grinned. This made Kagome frown further, seeing his brown eyes, and glanced down at him for a moment. _This can’t be good…_ she thought, _he’s dressed like that huntress was. Could he be out for my head?_

“Oh, you’re up,” he said, “I’m surprised. I hit your head pretty hard.”

“You did what?” she asked, her voice strained. Flashing began coming to her, but she couldn’t remember anything after she’d yelled. It was like everything turned black from then until her awakening.

“I hit your head, girl,” he said. “After all, I figured that I’d keep you here until Sesshoumaru comes for you.”

“Why would he come for me?” she asked.

He turned to her, giving her that, ‘you really are stupid’ look, before turning away from her again. Then, he sighed, before saying, “Why else? You’re his woman, I mean why else would you be with him.”

“I am not!” she yelled.

“Are too!”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Are too!” 

“Are not!” he yelled. He saw the girl grin, and nod, before realizing his mistake. “Hey, you tricked me!”

“No, I was merely agreeing with you, but you decided that I was wrong. Now, I’m agreeing with you,” she said, “again.”

“Stupid fuckin’ women,” he mumbled to himself.

Kagome frowned, before saying, “What was that?”

“Nothing,” he replied.

Moving, Kagome took notice that her feet were tied together. However, she looked down, and giggled, noticing that her hands were not. Obviously this was not a very good bounty hunter, since he couldn’t even tie her hands together.

“What are you giggling about?” he growled.

She showed him, waving her hands before her, before saying, “Did you ever think that maybe you should tie my hands together. Sure, without my feet I can’t run, but with my hands I could easily untie them.”

He blushed, before saying, “Look, I ran out of rope, ok.”

“Right, right,” she said.

“Don’t you think about going anywhere, though,” he growled, “I won’t hesitate to shoot you.” He pointed to the bow over by the wall, before turning away from her.

Sighing, Kagome tried again, saying, “I’m not Sesshoumaru’s woman, nor am I person he likes.”

“Yeah, your not tricking me again, girly,” he replied. “You two spent the night in a room together, I’m pretty sure you got a lot more pleasure then your talkin’ about. Besides, you’re his bitch, so he’s gotta come back for you.”

“Bitch…” Kagome fumed. She fumbled with her position, before finally reaching down and grabbing her shoe. Without much effort, she sent the shoe flying, grinning when it hit the guy in the head.

“What the fuck was that for?” he cursed.

“I am not Sesshoumaru’s woman, nor his _bitch_! I was only with him because he was on the verge of dying, and I saved him,” she replied.

“Really?”

“Yes,” she growled.

He nodded, before saying, “Then he’ll come for you anyway, since he’d now in your dept.”

“No, he won’t,” she said.

“You’re not getting me into that, again,” he replied.

“Well, he’s not,” she said. “He clearly said he doesn’t like me!”

“Yeah, but you see, my sources tell me that he was holding you pretty close in that hall,” he replied, looking over at her. Her face had turned red, and she looked away from him.

“He only did that to calm me… since he wanted to leave me, and I have nowhere to go,” she whispered.

Not having heard it, he frowned, and turned away. Finally, he said, “Look, girl, Sesshoumaru will come for his woman, I’m sure of it.”

“I’M NOT HIS WOMAN!!” she screamed.

Birds, and animals quickly moved away from the area. The scream travelled far away, telling everyone that something, somewhere, was going on. However, it wasn’t like most of them cared. Unlike the animals, they merely turned their heads, and continued on with their business.


	4. A Hidden Kindness

“Now,” he moved away from her, the gag stopping her from saying anything, “when Sesshoumaru comes to get you, I’m going to capture him. He’s got a big bounty on his head, and I could do with some money.”

“Mm mhmah moh mish womhomno!” Kagome screamed, the words, ‘ _I’m not his woman!’_ being changed into something not understandable. She glared at the hunter, before beginning to huff to herself at moments. They were loud enough for him to hear, and she was glad to see he flinched every time she let out a ‘ _hhhhhmmmpphh’_. It seemed that someone didn’t like the noise she was making, since he couldn’t to glare at her every time she let another huff out. Plus, she had a funny feeling it was because she wasn’t doing it straight in a row, but continuing to make it random.

He sat down next to the small fire he’d made, glaring over at the idiot girl. She just didn’t know when to shut up! Grabbing a stick, before began to move the burning pieces of wood around. He needed to make sure the girl stayed alive, since he was sure Sesshoumaru would come for her. He had too. After all, why else would the girl try to save his ass? Better yet, why did the stay in the same room if they weren’t lovers? They had to have some type of connection, and he was sure it would bring Sesshoumaru straight to him.

Who knew, maybe he could threaten the bastard with the girl’s life, and see how he reacted. If he did nothing, well she was telling the truth; but on the chance he tried to save her, then she was lying to him. Still, he couldn’t take that chance, since the girl was fiery, she’d probably get away from him and run back to her lover.

That was not something he could afford. It would not only cost him the girl, but also the bounty. Should she go running back to her lover then he’d probably never catch her again. Sesshoumaru was the type of person who never forgot a face, and stayed far away from that certain person afterward. He’d be running, trying to protect the sheath he wrapped around his lower region.

Yes, Sesshoumaru would most definately be back! Whether for his woman or the debt he owed, he really didn’t care which.

Still, there was that little nagging voice in the back of his head, and he wondered what the hell it was. Then it hit him: his conscience! The stupid voice that continued to assault him; especially when it thought he was doing some _thing_ wrong, or going about _it_ wrong. It continued to nag at the back of his mind – something about _what if…_ well, it could say, _what if_ all it wanted, but that wasn’t going to get him anywhere. No, that was just going to bring more questions. At this point, that was not something he needed.

Still, it did bring up the question of: what if Sesshoumaru did not return? What if the bastard stayed away, not caring about his woman? What if Sesshoumaru merely tossed the girl aside for another one, possibly fucking her when this one came upon them? What if… what if… what _if…_

He could continue with that all day, but that was not something he wished to do at the moment. So, he decided to occupy himself, which turned out to be a not so good thing. The girl continued to huff, sigh, and groan, trying to probably loosen his ropes. However, once he’d found more, he’d decided that it was time to tie the girl up completely.

Truly, he’d known where the rope was in the first place, but the girl had seemed so peaceful, and comfortable while passed out. He hadn’t wanted to make her feel discomfort and wake up on him, so he’d only tied her feet together. That way she could only roll, and if she suddenly sat up, and tried to stand she’d tripped. That would most definitely make him aware of her movements.

So, he had a good reason. However, he was starting to think that decision was a bad one. No, wait, kidnapping the girl in the first place that was the false decision; yes, that had to be it! His judgement of the situation! He should have just gone straight for Sesshoumaru, but no, he had to try and get the girl. Besides, he’d done the girl a favor… which, he now believed she needed to know of.

“Stop that,” he snapped.

Kagome glared at him, wondering who the hell he thought he was. King Of The World! Well, he wasn’t! If she could have, she would have snapped that sentence. However, she couldn’t say much – ok, she could say a lot of things, but they sounded… _strange_? _Different_? – with that stupid gag in her mouth. In fact, she really wanted to kill this black haired man, because this gag was made from his… what tasted like, sweaty sleeve! Her glare didn’t have the same affect she wanted it to have, since he’d merely turned away from her.

Huffing, she mumbled, “Stoup whaut?”

He turned back toward her, leaning on his hand, “Stop making that sound, girl!”

“Why?” wow, that actually sounded like ‘why’. That was amazing.

He turned toward her, the stick he was using to coax the fire now across his chest. “Look girl, I saved your god forsaken ass. You should be grateful that I saved you, when I should have just gone after Sesshoumaru when you… _released_ … that _attack_. However, I didn’t, which didn’t leave you with a bunch of soldiers, who would probably… have loved to strip you of not only your modesty… give you bruised thighs until you couldn’t walk… but also, to cut you into little, tiny pieces afterward.”

Kagome stiffened, thinking, _they wouldn’t have dared! I don’t care what being a woman means… I’d… I’d… well; I’d kick their asses that’s what I’d do!_

Shaking his head, he turned back to his fire, glad to have the girl quiet. However, it did not last, for he heard her sigh. Then, he heard her head hit the ground, and looked back to make sure she was ok. What he saw, though, was her merely trying to find a good place to lie. Probably not too overjoyed with the current cave arrangements.

Smirking, he said, “What’s the matter girl? Don’t you like being on the ground… your **back** , at least? I’m sure that nice room Sesshoumaru bought played to all _your_ needs, but… well, I just don’t got the money to put you in one of ‘em fancy rooms. Plus, why would I need a whore to grace my bed?”

Kagome stiffened more, turning her blazing eyes on him. If he hadn’t shoved some of that sweaty sleeve down her throat, she would be giving him a mouth full he’d never forget. However, this man seemed not to notice. She couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he wanted, since he obviously needed the bounty Sesshoumaru carried for something. But what?

“I’ll habe yob knou tuat I wah the ony to pay fon tuat dam ruum, baba!” she growled.

“What was that girl?” he pretended to be trying to strain to hear her. “Do you like being coaxed into a man’s bed? Hm? Perhaps you’d like to merely jump into mine? Too bad, girly… I don’t take another man’s leftovers.”

“I’n gouna ill yob!” Kagome screamed, trying to force the gag from her mouth, and up or below the piece he’d tied over her lips to keep it there. Her hands frantically began moving to untie herself, but when she heard another voice off in the distance a ways, she found no need. Especially when the man stiffened.

“ _Inuyasha_!” came a woman’s voice. “Where the hell are you, boy? You’re supposed to be helping me, not leaving an old woman to fend for herself!”

So, Inuyasha was his name, huh? Well, this Inuyasha didn’t seem to like the fact that the woman had found him. He was extremely tense, probably wishing the other woman would just leave, and go far, far away. She, gag still in her mouth, said, “Trnin’ tou ron from yoar ast gailfrinds?”

“What?” he hissed, his voice down.

“ _Inuyasha!_ ” the woman’s voice was lower. “If you don’t come out this instant, young man, I’m going to give you a beatin’ you won’t soon forget!”

Kagome snickered, rolling onto her side, watching the cave entrance. She watched, as soon an older woman came to the cave, her face in a small scowl. Smiling to herself, she gave the woman pleading eyes, acting like he was doing unimaginable things to her. When the woman saw this, she stiffened even more, casting Inuyasha a very dark look.

“Inuyasha, what did I tell you about harassing young women,” the woman snapped.

Inuyasha gulped, “Mom…”

“Don’t give me that ‘mom’, stuff, Inuyasha,” she continued. Her voice was a little softer, and she gave him a disappointed look. “I raised you better, Inuyasha. You shouldn’t be tying up young girls’ against their will.”

“Mom, she’s Sesshoumaru’s woman,” Inuyasha insisted.

His mother gave him another disbelieving look, “Inuyasha, darling, I love you… but you said that about the last girl…”

“Really, mom,” Inuyasha said, rising onto his knees, “she was seen coming out of a building with him. They had been inside the room together, from what the manager said.”

The woman looked at Kagome again, narrowing her eyes a bit. “That still gives you no right to tie her up, Inuyasha. You know that,” she replied. “She must have a pretty good story…”

Kagome nodded, trying to make the woman understand. She decided not to say anything, yet, since she wouldn’t be able to understand her, just like Inuyasha couldn’t understand her. However, now she might have a chance to tell that baka that **she** was the one who helped _him_. She paid for that goddamned room, not Sesshoumaru. The bastard didn’t even want to stay after the first night, which in her mind would have probably been better, then him simply running away. If he’d stayed, and in woman form, then no one would have known he was there!

No, the prick left her to deal with _this_. Whatever in the hell was happening to her, right now, was his fault. He shouldn’t have been so hasty to leave, when she’d gracelessly given him a place to stay, and recover for four days. No, the jackass left, not even saying that he’d repay her.

The guy was a jerk. A big fat fucking jerk! One big fat fucking jerk who she wanted to strangle. One big fat fucking jerk that’d left her to deal with the trouble _he_ caused. One big fat fucking jerk, who if she knew any better then she did she’d hate.

She didn’t know him very well, though, thus she couldn’t hate him. She hadn’t known he’d do this to her, so it was partly her fault.

Huffing, she tilted her head a little, and thought to herself, _I should have left him out in the cold. Next time he needs my help, I will._

* * *

 

“I’m fine, Jaken,” Sesshoumaru replied, urging the horse forward. His mind was currently wondering what he was going to do. He couldn’t do anything in the Sengoku Jidai. There were too many people who wanted him dead, and so many that would try and retrieve the bounty he held if they found out his secret. It wasn’t his fault that the Goddess Midoriko chose him to be a Shikon Warrior at birth. It was not his fault he was cursed to not only know the form and feelings of a man, but also a woman.

It was that damn Goddess’s fault, which was the exact reason why he wasn’t going to help her. He would not help anyone who was trying to bring her down from the heavens to save this godforsaken land. It shouldn’t have been put on his shoulders, when he didn’t want it. Just remembering that, he could remember everything Jaken told him would one day be his… the day his father was dead. Still, his father hated him, so the only way to take the city he ruled would be to kill him himself. That was the exact same reason why he was supposed to be killed after the first ‘ _change’_ happened, which according to Jaken had been about four hours after his birth.

His father had been confused to find a baby girl inside his heir’s crib, and became frightened when he saw the symbol for woman. The man had known that the symbol was given to the children chosen by the Goddess Midoriko, which was not a good thing for him. Especially, since it was his child who’d been chosen.

“Are you sure, Master Sesshoumaru? That woman could have done anything to you during your sleep,” Jaken said. His voice was grave, wondering why that woman had helped his master at all. Usually the people of Sengoku Jidai stayed far away from anyone with a warrior symbol; well, unless they wanted the land to be replenished, and were rebelling against the land. That girl had been skinny, and looked fragile, nearly breakable, so it was doubtful she was rebelling against anything. Especially, since she had been alone.

“That **child** did not do anything to me, of that I am positive. Jaken, do not worry so much, I am sure I can handle myself when near a young girl,” Sesshoumaru replied, resisting the urge to look back and scowl at his friend. Not only did he tire of hearing the phrase, ‘Master Sesshoumaru’, but he also hated when the man became too protective. It was natural, though, since they were like brothers, and as such they should try to protect one another, physically, and emotionally.

“Of that I am sure of, Master Sesshoumaru,” Jaken mumbled, shaking his head.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what Jaken meant by that. Surely his brother did not think he was sleeping with those women, did he? In his entire life, he’d only slept with maybe six, seven girls. He knew it was less then ten, but the only reason for that is because he couldn’t help but change into his other form to make things a little more interesting, and the girl freaked. She’d usually run from the room screaming that a warrior had tried to _rape_ her, when **she** was the one to try and seduce him in the first place.

“I merely meant that you can handle a woman, Master Sesshoumaru,” Jaken replied. “You have always been a natural when it comes to the ladies, you… just can’t finish the job.”

“Oh, yes, that makes me feel so much better,” Sesshoumaru, joked, laughing a little afterward. He heard Jaken give a chuckle as well, and was happy to see his sense of humor wasn’t dying on him. However, only Jaken would ever make him feel like there was nothing wrong in the world. That, however, was only because he’d been around the man for years, and didn’t feel like he needed to be cold toward him.

This was his brother, his companion, and his friend; he had no reason to hide his emotions from him. Though, he did to it on a whim every once in a while. Other then that, he tried to be completely honest with Jaken.

Jaken stopped laughing for a moment to say, “We would hope, Master Sesshoumaru. Of course, with you, all we can do is hope.”

“Now, you should not be telling lies, Jaken,” Sesshoumaru replied.

Jaken nodded, “True, true.”

Coaxing his horse faster, Sesshoumaru glanced at the long road ahead. He really didn’t know where he was going, but something was pulling him in this direction. Something he was sure would forever design his destiny; the one he did not wish to have. Yet, he’d always known that one day his past would come back to haunt him. That stupid girl was the reason for it now.

“Come now, Jaken, we have a long way to go,” Sesshoumaru said, urging the horse faster.

“Where are we going, Master Sesshoumaru?” Jaken asked.

Sesshoumaru merely shrugged, saying, “We’ll find out when we get there!”

* * *

 

“So… you found the woman on the stone tablet, and helped her… after she helped you,” she said, her voice thoughtful. Her brown eyes gazed into the cup of tea before her, as she straightened herself in her chair.

“Yes, Izayoi,” Kagome said. She sipped at her tea, before saying, “I, then, drug her back to what looked to be a place for housing, and rented a room. Afterward, I decided that the best way to get rid of her current fever would be to share body heat—”

Inuyasha snorted, watching the girl closely. If she made one move to get away, he was going to shoot her down with his arrows. His bow might be getting old, but he could still shoot down a girl as skinny as her. Then again, it also depended on how fast she ran. If she got behind anything faster then he could keep her in target, or continued to zigzag on him, then he’d have to run her down. Even that could prove her escape, since she could easily push something into his path, and continue to run, yelling ‘sucker’ over her shoulder.

Still, even he was listening closely to her story. If there was anything in there that sounded funny, or like she was lying, then she was going into a closet, tied like a buta. She’d sounded truthful so far, but he was waiting for the part where Sesshoumaru woke her in the middle of the night, and pleased his body with her own. Once he heard that, he was going to go get his horse, tied her to the saddle, and ride off to go find that fucking man. There was no way he’d merely throw aside a girl that… well, looked like that!

“—So, I began the process, by…” Kagome blushed.

“I understand, dear,” Izayoi replied. “Please, continue.”

“Well, I fell asleep at her side, and about four, maybe five hours after that I felt someone playing with my hair. It was then I awoke to find a blasted man – _naked_ as the day he was born – in the same spot _she_ had been. Then, after we spoke, he suddenly turned back into a woman before my very eyes, and pulled me into her arms. She – excuse me, **he** did not try anything, obviously wishing to get rid of his fever.

“In the morning we spoke, and he decided to just run out on me. He was the only person I knew, and at first I did not wish him to merely leave me in a strange place I did not know. So, I followed him, only find out that he was a jackass that needed to learn some manners,” Kagome huffed.

Izayoi laughed, saying, “Most men are!”

“Hey,” Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome laughed as well, “I must agree with you there, Izayoi!”

Izayoi began to cough suddenly, bringing up arm up over her chest, while the other covered her mouth. She doubled over, never noticing that Inuyasha was suddenly at her side.

“Mom, don’t do this to yourself,” Inuyasha whispered. “You’re still sick, and I haven’t earned the money to get the medicine yet.”

She nodded, “I’ll be fine for a few more days without it, Inuyasha, darling. Don’t worry yourself over it.”

 _So… that’s why he wants that money. Not only that, but that’s probably why he’s not very good at keeping someone hostage,_ Kagome thought, watching the scene with a small smile. It reminded her strangely of when her own mother was dying of illness. When she’d insisted she was fine, and come out of her bed for hours, only to end up with coughing fits.

Her mother had always been persistent, though. She couldn’t help but wonder what her father was doing right now. Had he burned her mother’s body already, and buried the ashes? Or had he merely left her slowly decaying body in her room? Was he still working on that stupid book that’d sucked her in? Was he trying to find her? Did he know she was inside his stupid book?

So many questions, yet no answers.

“Come now, mom, lets put you to bed,” Inuyasha said.

Izayoi nodded, “Yes, I believe that would be alright. However, you leave this girl alone, you understand, Inuyasha?”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said, casting a glare toward the girl. His mother seemed to already love the stupid girl, which wasn’t a good thing. That meant she wasn’t going to allow him to use her to lure Sesshoumaru into his grasp. Which meant, even though he felt like the girl had left a lot out of her story, he wasn’t going to be able to tie her up, and take her away. His mother wouldn’t allow it.

That meant he wasn’t going to be able to get the bounty.

Still, he’d have to go beg that stupid doctor for the medicine tomorrow. He didn’t have the money, but he might be able to get enough to save his mother until he had enough money to pay for it. He didn’t want her to die, but if that was what she was destined for… then there was nothing he could do about it.

“Thank you, Izayoi,” Kagome said, smiling as she watched Inuyasha mostly carry his mother into another room. Her hand touched the bag inside her pocket, and she sighed. These people – well, at least Izayoi – were so nice to her. She had to do something to help them.

* * *

 

“Tell me why the hell you just did that?” Inuyasha demanded, the medicine nearly sliding from his hand. He couldn’t believe this. His mother told him to take the girl with him, after they put her in some clothes from her closet; mainly, so the girl didn’t look like she was out of place. In those hakamas she was wearing the night before she looked like she was ready for a fight. According to his mother, that would be a bad thing.

So, he takes her with him. They walk through the stupid town, until they reach the doctors place. Then, when he tells her to stay outside and out of sight, she follows him in. After that, when he’s bribing the doctor, who continued to tell him that he couldn’t continue to give out free medicine, she walks up to him. She pulls out her little bag, dumped five coins on the counter, and asked ‘is this enough’? While he’s sitting there dumbstruck, the doctor looked over the coins, only to gasp, saying something about Inuyasha probably never paying for medicine for the next couple of years with these coins. All he could do was sit there, thinking, ‘what the fuck’?

Kagome smiled, placing the bag back inside her pocket, “I wanted to. Your mother was so nice to me. I figured I could repay her.”

“We don’t need your charity, girl,” Inuyasha growled. “I could have paid for this in about three days, but no, you walk in with your fancy coins, and pay for it right on the spot. Where the hell did you get those things, anyway?”

“They’re from my home,” Kagome said. She smiled while patting the bag in her pocket. Hopefully, this so-called goddess they had would shine some light on her for helping these people. Maybe then she could go home.

Inuyasha frowned, “Man, what are you, rich or somethin’?”

“Well… in a way, yes,” Kagome replied.

“Stupid girl,” he said, “I knew I shouldn’t have brought you along.”

Frowning, Kagome growled, “You’re just like _him_.”

Inuyasha sighed, rolling his eyes. Moving toward a path, which led up toward the hillside home his mother owned, he began walking up it. However, he was still curious about what the girl following him had said. So, he asked, “Who?”

“ _Sesshoumaru_ ,” she growled.

Halting, Inuyasha turned around to face the girl. His eyes narrowed, and he asked, “What?” If she just said what he thought she said, he was going to pound her into the ground, forgetting completely about what his mother had said.

“He was all like, ‘I knew I shouldn’t have helped you’, and you’re all like, ‘I knew I shouldn’t have brought you along’,” Kagome shook her head, pushing the man out of the way. He must have been caught off guard, since he stumbled a little to the left, trying to catch his balance.

Inuyasha caught himself before he hit the ground, and glared up at the girl. He should have just left her tied up, even though his mother told him not to. He should have left her in that cave, and forgot all about her. Let her starve to death, and hope to the Goddess Midoriko that a pack of wolves, or maybe a bear came along and ate her.

He couldn’t believe _that_ , though. The girl was comparing him to Sesshoumaru, the Wind Slasher. The man had killed hundreds of people while using and not using his warrior abilities. The man had thieved from nearly every village in the Sengoku Jidai. Something about getting back at it, from what the rumors said. The man who’d tried to take over the city of Edo at one point. No one could take over Edo, yet the Wind Slasher, looking much like a woman, had come extremely close. And here this girl was, saying that he was just like Sesshoumaru. He was nothing like that bastard.

Kagome huffed, before continuing on her journey up the path. The line of trees was beginning to crowd in around them, making the path a lot smaller, but she didn’t mind. She loved nature; it was one of the many things that helped her during her mother’s illness. Except, unlike some other things, it was always there for her. Always.

Still, the trees began crowding around, as if they would suddenly block the entire pathway. It made it a little harder to get to the main building, which was one of the reasons why she wondered why they didn’t cut some of them down. That would not only keep the pathway open, but it would help the other trees grow, since there’d be more room to grow, and… well, grow!

She knew Inuyasha was behind her, but she paid less attention to him. Her ears had caught the sound of cracking wood. Why would she hear that, when the only way cracking wood could be heard was either because people were finally cutting down some of the trees, or breaking into a building? She hoped it wasn’t the latter or the two. She could also hear the sound of shouting as they got closer, and she felt Inuyasha move by her, obviously hearing the same thing, which was good… or bad. Good because she wasn’t hearing things, and bad because they didn’t know what was going on.

Inuyasha began running when the scent of burning cedar reached his nose. He sniffed at the air, concluding that it was coming down from the house he left his mother inside. Which meant the men yelling about… what sounded like, ‘where’s the Shikon Miko’? were burning down their home. He didn’t know what they meant by ‘Shikon Miko’ but he was worried for his mother.

Kagome, not knowing what was happening, tried to run after him. He was faster, though, and easily ran over the ridge until she could no longer see him. As she got closer she noticed the scent of fire, and gasped, not understanding why someone would try and burn down such a lovely little home. Or why they would do it to a family who had barely anything.

Moving through the trees, Kagome stiffened when she heard the sound of howling. It didn’t sound like a wolf, and it didn’t sound like a human. Then, without warning, she heard the sound of screaming. Something about another warrior invading their little village. She didn’t know what they meant, but she continued to hear shouting about the Shikon Miko being close by.

The sound of ripping flesh, or perhaps clothing reached her ears right before she reached the top. Her eyes could see the house, now completely in flames, right before a man raced passed her. He didn’t seem to notice her, but she moved out of his way quickly. Still, her feet nearly slipped before she finally came over the ridge, only to gasp at the sight she saw.

Standing over the body of a disemboweled man was a very large, very white dog. It was growling, ripping the man to pieces. His eyes, now glazed over with death, were turned toward her, horror still seen inside their depths. Blood was dripping from his mouth, which made it look as if he choked on his own blood before the animal began ripping him to pieces. His clothing was all but gone, but she couldn’t blush, since it look as if he was more muscles and bones then skin at the moment. The dog, ripping at his groin, was mostly covered in the blood, probably from all the currently fallen bodies.

Some were still breathing, but she went nowhere near them. Others looked as if they’d died as soon as the dog attacked. However, what confused her was she couldn’t see Inuyasha. He was nowhere to be found, unless he was inside trying to find his…

Another gasp, nearly turned into a scream, was taken from her. In front of the building, which was now beginning to collapse on itself, was Izayoi. She looked as if she was dragged from the inside, only to be thrown in the dirt. Probably since these soldiers – they were dressed like soldiers – couldn’t get information out of her was why they… they cut off her head. It was sitting only a few feet from her foot, showing that when they hacked it off, it rolled away from her shoulders.

 _Poor Izayoi…_ Tears were now streaming down her face, and she wondered why these people would hurt someone who’d been so kind to her. Why would they do these things, when Izayoi had done nothing wrong? That was probably why the tears continued to stream down her face, and why she allowed the dog to continued to move from victim to victim, tearing each one apart until they no longer resembled what they were before.

She jumped when something grabbed at her ankle. The bag she insisted on taking with her, held nearly everything she’d brought with her, and she slung it off her shoulder to protect herself. She’d actually asked for the bag so she could leave these people in peace, searching for a way home, after they took the medicine to Izayoi. Now, she wished she’d asked for Izayoi to come with them, instead of a stupid bag to carry her belongings in.

“I knew you… were… here… Shiko…” the man said no more, as the dog pounced on his back, digging its claws into his head. His hand fell limp, as the large dog began tearing at his back, digging his face further into the dirt.

Kagome nearly screamed, but managed to hold it in, when the dog moved away from the dead man. It took a step toward her, walking over the corpse it had made, while she stepped away from it. Her eyes narrowed in thought, however, when she caught sight of a bold black symbol on the dog’s forehead. She couldn’t see it well, since it was mostly covered in blood, but she remembered something that fit the pieces together.

_“Look, why don’t we go back to sleep?” he said, holding his hand out in offering._

_“I don’t think so!” she said. However, she wasn’t that far away from him, and his hand gripped her upper arm, pulling her upward, and toward him. She struggled, until he spoke again._

_“It wouldn’t be so bad if we were both women, now would it?” Sesshoumaru asked._

_Kagome watched, as something happened. Before her eyes, the man shifted, and changed into the woman she’d seen before. The symbol returned, and…_

Shocked, she reached out, watching the dog stiffen. “Inuyasha…” she whispered, “Is that you?”

Before her eyes the dog began to shift. Its fur sank back into its body, the symbol disappearing along with it. Its legs shifted, the muscles changing, the skin shrinking back into their original form. The tail sank inside the man’s backbone, as a small scream was heard. However, within moments Inuyasha stood on his hands and knees before her, covered in blood like the dog had been.

His eyes looked up at her, and he said, “You should leave…”

“Inuyasha,” she said, covering her hand with her mouth. “Inuyasha, you’re a Shikon Warrior!”

“I know…” he said, “That’s why you should leave…”

“No, Inuyasha,” she said. She knelt next to him, keeping her eyes on his face, since he was now completely naked. However, her face still lit up with a blush, as she said, “Inuyasha, you can’t change who you are.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t help me,” he snarled. His ears twitched a little, before he stood. He turned his back to the girl, listening to the sounds he heard. Letting out a dog like growl, he said, “Shit! Come on, girl, we got to get outta here.”

Kagome was blushing, but nodded. She noticed that Inuyasha ran over to one of the men he hadn’t tore apart and began taking his clothes off. Once he did, he ran right into the forest behind the house, before yelling for her to hurry up. So, she ran after him, wondering why he’d seemed to listen to the wind a few moments ago.

When she broke through the trees, she never noticed the men from the village racing up onto the scene. She never knew they began checking for survivors, or that they were mumbling curses, saying things about tracking the bastard warrior, and miko. She never knew, because when she caught up to Inuyasha, who’d run behind the house, and into the trees, halfway dressed, he continued to run until he came to the barn, where he pulled his horse out. After dressing completely, he’d hopped up onto the horses back, and dragged her until she was seated before him, before riding away.

* * *

 

“Inuyasha, what are we going to do now?” Kagome asked, her butt sore. She’d never been on a horse for so long, and she didn’t plan on getting on one for so long ever again.

Inuyasha flicked the reins once more, before saying, “We’ll find someone who’ll help us.”

“How’ll we do that?” Kagome asked. They were currently moving along a long stretch of road, which looked as if it would go on forever. Her eyes were more interested in the lovely landscape, though, since there were so many beautiful things. It was hard to believe that this place was currently at war with their neighboring country. Well, from what Inuyasha had told her, it was actually a large piece of land that was cut off from the Sengoku Jidai by seawater, so it was like an island, more then a country.

“We’ll find someone who wants this war to be over. Some people actually want the Goddess Midoriko to return, so they help running Shikon Warriors,” he replied.

 _A hidden kindness,_ she asked herself? _Like Izayoi,_ her mind supplied. They’d have to find someone who was willing to help them. At least for a moment or two, so they could eat, or sleep without someone hunting them. She sighed, shaking her head a little. If people were so afraid of this ‘King InuTaisho’, then there wasn’t going to be many, since though he was said to only rule over the city of Edo, he also owned most of the other pieces of land in the Sengoku Jidai. He wanted the Shikon Warriors dead, which wouldn’t help them much 

Maybe, though, the Goddess Midoriko would help them. Maybe they would find someone willing to help them.

Like a miracle, a town began to emerge on the horizon. The sounds of human life began to fill their ears as they got closer, and Kagome’s hope for finding this hidden kindness nearly burst.


	5. Trapped With No Escape

She’d never find someone who’d help them at this rate. She knew how fast gossip, and stories could travel, even outside of one’s own village and into another one, so she didn’t dare try to use the coins she had. True, they’d get her a nice room, but after that soldiers who’d heard of a traveling girl, who could pay for a room longer then the average person, and the black haired Shikon Warrior traveling with her, would probably invade the room. Yes, gossip spread like a wild fire, so she wasn’t going to take the risk of someone finding them.

Still, she didn’t want to sit on the ground another second. Sure, the horse was off grazing somewhere, and Inuyasha was trying to see to some of the wounds he had, but… there was a village very close by, so why couldn’t they just go get some food or something? Inuyasha could use her coins that why no one knew she was there, though, she extremely doubted she was this, ‘ _Shikon Miko’._

Really, she had no special power. How was she supposed to unseal a _goddess_? For all these people, or her father, actually knew, the woman could be a man, therefore a god. For all they knew, it could be some type of evil being, who wished to destroy their lands, instead of help them. So, why was she here, again? She couldn’t help these people. Hell, she couldn’t even imagine herself in one of those fancy kimonos’ while walking behind her husband.

So… her imagination wasn’t very good. Big deal. She was sure that a lot of people, ok, a lot of men, couldn’t imagine that… _Stupid, Kagome, stupid,_ she thought to herself, _of course a man isn’t going to be able to imagine themselves walking, inside a **kimono** , behind another man. Baka Kagome…_

“Hey, girl,” Inuyasha called, “You ok?”

Looking over toward the blacked haired man, Kagome nodded, saying, “I’m fine, Inuyasha.”

“Really?” Inuyasha seemed not to like this answer. “You seem awfully quiet…”

Scowling, Kagome asked, “Isn’t that a good thing? People used to tell me a talked too much, so why would not talking be a problem, Inuyasha? I mean, really. Sure, Yura would tell me day after day that I need to learn how to stop talking, which in the end, lead me to talk more, because its really fun to annoy her. Still, all that bitch did was cause problems, and rant about how my sire was never around, just to try and make me feel bad. You know, sometimes I wish my sensei had let me slice her up with one of the bladed ninjara’s we had… Mmmmmm…”

“Ok, I see your point,” Inuyasha replied, giving her that, ‘God, you’re stupid’ look. “Now, you promise not to talk if I remove my hand?”

Kagome glared.

“Well, we can be here all night,” Inuyasha said, “So, go ahead and don’t agree. I mean, I can stay here forever, but I’m not sure you want to.”

Kagome almost smirked, but stopped when she realized he’d feel it. So, she opened her mouth, as if to reply to him, and allowed her tongue to lap over his salty tasting skin. She wanted to cringe after she’d done it, though, since she didn’t like the taste of his skin one bit. It was just… weird.

“Eww,” Inuyasha screeched, swinging his hand away as fast as he could, before wiping it on his hakamas. “That’s just sick, man.”

“First, I’m not a man. Second, I know,” Kagome smirked, scrapping her tongue against her teeth. She was quite happy that’d actually worked, though she was the one who had to lick his skin. It wasn’t something she wanted to do again, so she was going to try and make sure he didn’t. Hopefully, though, she wouldn’t **ever** have to resort to licking the inside of his palm.

“God, you’re so gross,” Inuyasha said, rolling his eyes.

Scowling, Kagome replied, “I’m gross? You’re the one that put your hand over my mouth, it’s not my fault you can’t handle a little talking. I mean, really. You must be some type of… well, I don’t have a word right now, but that’s not something I’m really worried about. Still, Inuyasha, shouldn’t you be able to handle a little bit of talking, since everyone does it all the time…”

“You’re doing it again,” Inuyasha complained.

Smirking, Kagome said, “I know. Didn’t you hear what I said earlier, Inuyasha? I said that the more you don’t want me to, the more I’m going to, for the simple fact: it will bug the hell out of you.”

“Well, then stop trying to bug the hell out of me,” Inuyasha growled, glaring over at her.

Sighing, Kagome said, “Look, Inuyasha… I’m not used to… _staying_ out in the forest, so can’t we, like, find a place to stay until they suspect something? I… really don’t mind staying out in the forest, but I **don’t** want to be out here at night.”

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Inuyasha replied, “Are you afraid of staying out in the forest, or something?”

“No,” Kagome sighed. “I’m just not used to staying in the forest at night.” Smiling toward him, Kagome said, “Promise to protect me, and I’ll stay!”

“We’re gonna go find a place to stay, girl,” Inuyasha said, standing on his feet almost instantly. He winced a little, gripping his side, before going off to find his horse. After all, he couldn’t leave it sitting in the middle of the woods, when it could easily run off, or be eaten by a pack of wolves. Besides, he’d had the horse since it was merely a colt, and raised it himself. It would be a waste if it were eaten at such a young age.

Blinking a few times, Kagome glared toward him as he left. “You jerk,” she yelled. He wouldn’t even promise to protect her so she’d stay in the forest… He was such an ass. Just like Sesshoumaru.

She’d show him.

Inuyasha walked deeper into the forest until he found his horse, and began walking back. His hand wrapped around the reins, coaxing the horse to follow him as he moved through the foliage. The horse followed him easily, having been with him for years, until Inuyasha found himself in the clearing the girl had been in.

Bringing his other hand up to rub at his temples, he growled. The goddamn girl was gone. Where? He didn’t know. She’d better hope she didn’t meet up with anything, though, since she wasn’t even fat enough for a wolf to get a descent meal out of her. She was just too scrawny for her own good.

* * *

 

Kagome smirked, looking back down the road. If that warrior thought she couldn’t handle the forest, then wait tell he saw she couldn’t. Yeah, she was being a bit childish by simply getting up and leaving, but the guy was a jerk. She didn’t even see how someone as nice, and sweet as Izayoi had raised such a mean, and inconsiderate man. Of course, that was probably just the male nature, but she really couldn’t tell, since she wasn’t a male.

Walking down the path, she found herself coming closer and closer to the village she’d seen earlier. She smiled, not paying much attention to what was going on around her. She knew she should of, especially when a young woman began walking beside her, but really didn’t. 

* * *

 **Note:** And, sadly, this is all that I had written for this story that I abandoned several years ago. Terribly sorry about that.


End file.
